Mars out of Neptune
by moonswirl
Summary: What if Lianne had managed to run off with Veronica as she'd attempted to in episode 5? Alternate Universe
1. The Strange Morning

**Disclaimer: Other than the fact that I don't own this, I also don't own the dialogue that you'll find located between two of these stars. It's from episode five.**

**Story: What if Lianne had succeeded in taking off with Veronica when she tried to get her out of school? (from episode five)**

**MARS OUT OF NEPTUNE**

**BY MOONIE**

CHAPTER 1: THE STRANGE MORNING Months ago, early 2004 

Veronica Mars had woken up that morning and she knew somehow something would happen. Her best friend had deemed this "her psychic gut moment". Oh how she missed Lilly then… All these little instances only served to remind her she was gone, taken away bloody in a body bag and to an all too early grave. That morning she had felt it, strongly, deeply. Today her life would change. But would it be for good or bad? That she couldn't tell.

She swiveled to a sitting position in her bed, sweeping her long blonde hair over her shoulders with a sigh. She'd been thinking of cutting it recently but still had doubts. She stood, waking the dog at the foot of her bed. "Rise and shine," she smiled to Backup's protests. Finally he came trotting behind her as she made her way into the kitchen.

The scene there was such a routine these days. Amid boxes, her mother sat quietly sipping her coffee and staring into the distance, while her father drank his own coffee perusing the morning's paper. Veronica sighed and went to give the dog his breakfast before making herself a bowl of cereal. She took it to the table and sat, her mother at one end and her father at the other.

"So… I heard it'll rain."

"Take an umbrella," her father mumbled as her mother just hummed. Veronica sighed once again and ate in silence. When she'd finished, she went to dress.

"I'll drive you to school," her mother stood out of her daze.

"Okay," Veronica nodded. Lianne Mars had insisted on doing this every morning for some time, but Veronica didn't think too much of it. Frankly these days she cared much more for the ride than the actual destination. Neptune High had become a live reminder of the repercussions of the events of October 3rd 2003. As they stopped in front of the school, Lianne spoke up.

"Do you have your phone?" she asked.

"Yes," Veronica rolled her eyes, tired of the question. "Keep it on," she spoke in chorus with her mother.

"I love you honey," Lianne took her hand.

Veronica smiled, "I know." She kissed her mother's cheek and got out of the car.

She faced the building, took a deep breath, and marched on ahead. As she walked through the halls, she tried not to make too much eye contact, granted it really wasn't a problem these days. She got to her locker and groaned. Someone had broken in – again. What little present had they left her this time? Nothing – they'd taken everything, likely having hidden it somewhere problematic for retrieval.

She turned at the sound of stifled laughs. In the process, her gaze fell on two people: Duncan Kane and Logan Echolls. Logan sort of laughed with the others. Duncan though, he gave her a strange look before forcing his eyes into another direction. "Another wonderful day at Neptune High," she told herself, closing her locker and heading off to English class.

She sat by the window, needing to be able to look somewhere she wouldn't see some 09er snickering and/or pointing. Was she ever going to live it down?

"Miss Mars, please read out the first paragraph?" The teacher brought her to attention. She gaped for a moment before speaking.

"I, uh, I don't have it… I lost it…"

"No, wait, here it is," Logan spoke then, throwing the book to land with a thud on her desk, nearly catching her hand before she could pull it away. She kept herself from replying and opened the book.

"What are you still doing here?" The words were scribbled all over the place, amidst other words that only got more hurtful as she found them. Her eyes burned, holding back tears.

"Fine," the teacher sighed. "Miss Sinclair, please read out." Veronica looked out the window, trying to shut out the pain. What her eyes met caught her by surprise – was that her mother's car parked outside? What was she doing there, she should have been gone by now. But then…

"Miss Mars? Veronica Mars? Report to the administration's office?" The class "ooh-ed" and "aah-ed" and whispered as she stood, leaving the marked book behind. She was glad for the distraction.

Rubbing at her eyes to erase any trace of tears, she turned to enter the office. "Mom?" she asked, confused. Lianne smiled to the secretary and started to pull her daughter back into the hall. "Mom, what are you doing here? Where are we going?"

"I just thought it would be nice to spend some time together. I thought we could go visit Aunt Sheryl," Lianne went on as she led her daughter toward the exit.

"In Palm Springs? Mom, I can't go to Palm Springs. I have a history test next period and a Spanish project due," Veronica spoke as she finally got her mother to stop dragging her along. The look in Lianne's eyes was one of desperation.

"Honey, please. Don't make this hard," her voice lowered to whisper, "Just come with me, okay?" The fear in Lianne's voice gave Veronica goose bumps.

"What's going on?" she whispered back.

"I… I can't tell…" she looked around.

"Then I'm not going anywhere," she started to walk away.

"Veronica!" she whispered a little louder.

"No, Mom," she spun back to face her. "Why should I? After everything… no, I shouldn't even bother…" she started to leave again.

"I'm sorry…" Lianne whispered.

"Sorry for w…"

She was cut off as she felt something come over her mouth – a cloth. The fumes got to her before she could do anything. Before long, she was unconscious in her mother's arms, being carried to her car and driven away, from the school and Neptune.

TBC


	2. It's The Last Words That Kill

Note: Thank you for the reviews! Here's the next part. I'll try to get the next one in as soon as possible, but I'm heading into the last two weeks of school, so I'll do my best but I'm not making any promises :) Also, if you're having shipper issues, note that my 'allegiance' will become clear eventually… hint: LoVe is in the air ;)

CHAPTER 2: IT'S THE LAST WORDS THAT KILL 

"Mrs. Mars, you left your…" the woman stepped out of the administration's office. No one was there. "Mrs. Mars?" She looked down, finding a fallen cloth. She could smell something and it made her momentarily dizzy. "What…" She looked up, just in time to witness the girl being set, unconscious, in the back of a car. The person, she couldn't be sure if it was Mrs. Mars, then got in the car before speeding off. "Oh my God…" She ran back into the office and got the phone. "9… 911… N-Neptune High, I think a student was kidnapped… Veronica Mars…"

Out on the road, some time later, the car rolled on in a hurry. In the backseat, Veronica slowly regained consciousness. She felt lightheaded and heavy at first, her vision blurred. When it began to clear up again, it took her a moment to remember what had happened and to figure out where she was. She lifted her head, looking out at the road.

"We're not going to Palm Springs, are we," she said as a fact. Lianne looked at her in the rearview mirror.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry it had to be this way."

"Why are you doing this?" Veronica pleaded.

"I swear I'll explain, but for now I need you to trust me," Lianne pulled up to the side of the road.

"Why are we stopping?" Lianne came to help her out of the car and into another car resting at the curb. After transferring some bags over, they drove off again. "Does Dad know?" Veronica asked her mother. Lianne didn't reply.

Back in Neptune, Keith Mars walked into the offices of Mars Investigations. Though he loved being sheriff, he had to admit this new work also had its perks. Putting on a pot of coffee, he hit the button on his answering machine, half-listening to the few messages. It was the third one that caused him to stop mid-action.

"Keith, this is… I don't know how to say this," came the voice of one of his ex-deputies. "We got a call from Neptune High. It appears your daughter was kidnapped… by your wife."

The message went on but by then Keith had already grabbed his car keys and rushed out the door. He arrived at the high school, where a couple of cars from his old department were parked. Keith jumped out of his car and through the doors. He spotted deputies, faculty and students standing about, puzzled looks all around.

"Mr. Mars…" the vice-principal began.

"Where's my daughter?" Keith interrupted, ready to jump someone.

"Calm down. I can't explain if you don't."

"I'll try," Keith spoke sarcastically.

"Your wife came in here about one or so hour ago, asking to speak with Veronica. We pulled her out of class. Mrs. Mars took her into the hall. When one of our assistants went to return her bag she found this…" he held up a bag with the cloth inside. Keith understood what it was. "She also someone, whose ID she couldn't confirm, place Veronica in a car and drive off with her." Keith rubbed at his eyes. "I'm sorry."

The former sheriff had half a mind to remind him of the hell the town had put his family through in the past few months. But he didn't. He needed to focus on the important – his daughter was missing and he needed to find her.

"Where's this woman who saw her?"

"She's pretty upset right now, doubt you'll get anything from her." Keith walked off down the hall. "We'll do whatever it takes to help!" Clemmons called after the distraught father.

Keith walked into the men's room. He paced back and forth for a while before kicking at a stall with a raging shout. Breathing heavily, he tried to control his emotions. Fear, anger, confusion, all whirled about in his mind. He leaned against the wall, his strength waning.

"Damn it Lianne…" he whispered, brushing away at the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

ON THE ROAD 

"Are you hungry?" Lianne asked Veronica. She remained quiet, looking out the window. "Honey, please…" Lianne sighed. Veronica kept her eyes on the road. "There's some cookies in that bag next to you. Baked them last night."

"No thanks."

"I'm sorry I had to do this. But I promise it'll all make sense…"

"Eventually, right…" Lianne was the one to keep quiet then.

NEPTUNE HIGH 

Keith stepped out of the bathroom, finding the "crowd" had been dispersed.

"Mr. Mars!" He turned and saw who had called to him – Duncan Kane. Keith sighed. It was so difficult to see him sometimes. He kept wondering what effect all these events were having on the Kane son.

"Hello Duncan."

"Is it true? What they're saying…"

"Well what did you hear?" Keith asked, hoping he might know something helpful.

"I don't know. I heard someone knocked out Veronica and took her." The images flashing in the troubled father's mind weren't comforting ones.

"Did anyone see anything?"

"Not that I've heard."

"Find out?"

"S-sure." Keith left the boy standing there and marched decisively to the vice-principal.

"I want to talk to that woman, her teacher, anyone who's seen ANYTHING. Bring them to your office, I'll be waiting," he instructed. "It's that way, right?"

"Uh…" Clemmons stuttered.

Meanwhile, Duncan went to sit at his table, where Logan and others sat as well. "You okay?" Logan asked.

"Yeah." Duncan looked to the other '09ers. He could tell they were thinking about Veronica Mars. They may have treated her like chopped liver for the past few months, but they were still human. The possibility of her life being in peril wasn't going to make them easy on the trash talk. Still, Duncan knew, once they found Veronica and she came back, they'd treat her just as they had that very morning. Duncan stood and walked off. Logan followed.

"You sure you're okay?" Logan asked, concerned. Since Lilly's death, Logan and Duncan had some trouble adjusting – to the world without her, life without her. In both cases, they were trying to find normalcy in all the wrong places. "Look, I'm sure she's okay. Maybe she's trying to make us feel bad for her." Duncan looked up.

"Are you saying she'd…" he got worked up.

"Okay, okay," Logan sat back against a low ramp. "She'll be back," he spoke, honest now. He remembered the days where it was the four of them – Duncan, Veronica, Logan, Lilly. Today their group had been shredded at the seams. Logan would have been lying if he said he didn't worry about Veronica's well being. Still he had many conflicting thoughts when it came to Veronica. Back in the day – and how off was it to say that – he would have been much more affected.

In Clemmons' office, Keith sat across from the woman, the one who'd seen Veronica being taken. She was still sniffling in her Kleenex.

"Are you ready to talk now?" Keith asked, trying to tune down his urgency for the woman's sake.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Mrs. Mars came into the office; she wanted to give Veronica something she'd left in the car. I said I could take it to her but she insisted on handing it over personally. So I sent for her. She came and they went into the hall."

"And then what happened?"

"I saw she'd left her bag, what she was bringing for her, on a chair, so I went to return it. But when I went into the hall to give it to her she was gone, they both were. That's when I found the cloth. I looked out the doors and I saw… I saw Veronica being placed in the backseat of a car, unconscious." Keith felt his rage come again. Images of his daughter struggling against her assailant, of being carried off defeated…. He breathed in deep.

"Did you see who took her? Was it her mother?"

"I… I don't know. It could have been. I didn't see the person, the car blocked my view."

"Okay, so she was put in the car…" The woman nodded.

"Before I could move, they were driving away. I'm so sorry Mr. Mars," she cried. Keith closed his eyes.

A few hours later, he returned home, drained. He put his keys down and stopped. The house was so quiet. He closed his eyes and recalled the morning's breakfast, the last thing he'd said to her – "Take an umbrella." Those couldn't be the last words he'd ever speak to his daughter; he wouldn't accept that. He'd find her if it was the last thing he did.

"Backup?" he called, finding the echo unnerving. The dog came trotting in, looking like he was searching for his favorite girl. Keith went to sit on the couch and the dog joined him. He looked at the bag still in his hand, the one left behind by Lianne. He hadn't dared looking through its contents just yet. Finally he opened the brown paper bag. He had to chuckle at seeing what was in there, if only a laugh of desperation. Inside he found three apples. He put the bag aside, rubbing at his eyes.

He'd never regretted his actions in the handling of the Lilly Kane case, no matter what. For the first time now though, he began to wonder whether he'd taken it too far. But remembering the body, remembering Veronica's pain at losing her friend, he knew he had to keep hope.

MOTEL 

"Don't say anything. Please?" Lianne asked her daughter as they headed for the check-in counter. Veronica just followed, still seething.

"Hello," the woman greeted them.

"Hi. We'd like a room," Lianne told her. Shortly after, they were at their room. "Well, this is nice," Lianne looked to her daughter with a smile.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she just deadpanned, heading for the small room in the corner.

"Okay, I'll set up a lunch." Taking no effort to stop the bathroom door from slamming, Veronica locked herself in.

Finally she could release her emotions. She started to cry despite herself. How had it gotten to this? That morning had been so plain – same dead breakfast, same phone speech…

The phone.

She patted at her pocket and managed a smile when she felt it still there. She scrambled to get it out. She realized her mother might hear her speaking, so she decided on text messaging. She looked through her contacts. Her father's phone didn't get texts, so she had to find someone else to deliver the message. These days, the possibilities were very much limited.

"Duncan" is where she stopped scrolling. No matter how things were with them, he'd have to help her, right? Turning the faucet to at least bury the sound of her phone beeping, she hurried to type.

"_Calder motel. Ok. Help."_

With a quick gasp, she hit send. She put her phone away and turned off the water. "Right, here goes, cool as a cucumber Mars." She opened the door, back to her quiet determination face.

NEPTUNE – KANE RESIDENCE 

Duncan walked in, his mother coming to greet him. "I heard about Veronica. It's just horrible." Duncan almost wanted to laugh in his mother's face. Knowing very well how she felt about his once-girlfriend it was hilarious. His phone vibrated then and he took it out.

"Message: Veronica" was written on the screen and his eyes grew wide. 

"I'm going out," he told his mother before running back out the door. He could hear his mother calling out to him, but he was already in his car by then. He read the message as he drove. _"Calder motel. Ok. Help."_ He tried calling her, but her phone was off. He stepped down on the gas, speeding off to the Mars home. He didn't bother turning off the motor, running out and up to the door.

Inside, Keith was still on the couch with Backup when the banging on the door came.

"Mr. Mars!"

"Duncan?" Keith asked himself. He stood and went to open the door. Duncan held his phone out.

"She sent this." Keith grabbed the phone and read the message.

"Your car?"

"Over there."

"Get home, I'll take care of it. I'm borrowing your phone."

CALDER MOTEL, HOURS LATER 

Veronica munched on her sandwich quietly. Lianne sat, observing her. "I did it for you, you know." Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Funny, I don't recall putting "getting kidnapped by my mother" on my wish list." Lianne stood and came to sit next to her daughter.

"Honey, you were in danger in that town."

"What are you talking about?" She looked to her daughter. She didn't want to alarm her daughter, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep this from her forever.

"I can't tell you why, but the important part is this: I needed to get you out of there because you could have been killed." Veronica's throat was dry just then.

"What?" she stood. "Of all the stories you could have come up with, this is just…"

"Veronica, listen to me!" Lianne stood, taking her daughter by the shoulders. "I'm not pretending. This is real. Do you really think I'd do this if I didn't have a good reason? Really?" she cried. "I couldn't stand anything happening to you!" Veronica was crying too now. "I wish there was another way, but…"

She stopped, suddenly hearing the faint sound of sirens.

"What…" Lianne went to look out the window. "How did they…"

Veronica had to make a decision there. She hated the thought of being away from home, but what her mother had said couldn't easily be ignored. "I'm sorry…"

"What for?" Lianne looked to her daughter. She was holding her cell phone. Lianne sighed. "We have to go." Veronica was quiet for a moment.

"Okay," she finally spoke. Lianne hugged her.

"Leave your phone. They can't trace us." Veronica dropped it on the bed.

"T-the bathroom window." They grabbed their bags and started heading for the bathroom. Veronica stopped, reaching for a ring on her finger. She placed it over her phone before following Lianne. They climbed out into the alley. They checked to make sure the cars approaching wouldn't spot them before running to a taxi parked nearby.

"Get in," Lianne told Veronica as she went to wake the sleeping driver. "Can you drive us?" Lucky for them, he didn't seem too attentive to the sirens. "Stay down," Lianne instructed her daughter as they drove off.

Veronica nodded, hoping she had done the right thing. It was hard to think she had, knowing how it would hurt her father.

Back at the motel, Keith walked up to the check-in. "Excuse me, miss?"

"Yes?" the woman looked at the deputies behind Keith.

"Have you seen this girl?" he put a picture of Veronica on the counter. The woman picked it up.

"Oh sure, came in this morning. Nice girl, kind of angry…" Keith took the picture back. "The person with her…"

"Looked like her, must have been her mother." Keith sighed. He took out another picture. "Yeah, that's her."

"What room?" Keith asked quickly.

"Nine, at the end. What's going on?" Keith and the deputies were already moving. They got to the door and Keith banged at it.

"Lianne, open the door! Veronica, I'm here!" The door was forced open and they entered.

"They're gone… But they were here," one of the men stated.

Keith spotted something on the bed and went to pick it up. It was Veronica's phone. On top he found a ring belonging to her as well. He held them, unable to move as the others inspected the room. He'd been too late… and now his little girl was gone.

TBC


	3. Intermission, part I: Nina Healy

**Note: Thanks again for the reviews :) Sorry it took a while for this update, I had a bout of writer's block… Finally broke though it (obviously) so here it is. This one was a little tougher to write, so be kind? ;)**

**There will be two timelines running through the Intermission chapters. The first is this one. The second is in the past. Each is moving forward. So even though I jump from one to the next, when I return to one and say 'a few weeks later', it ties to the previous peek into that time. I hope this isn't too confusing… :)**

CHAPTER 3: INTERMISSION, PART I: Nina Healy

They traveled by taxi for nearly two hours. The whole time, Veronica couldn't help feeling more and more guilty for leaving home, leaving her father. She wanted to be able to let him know she was okay, which was why she'd left her ring, but it didn't change the fact she'd had to choose between life and her father. She'd hated having to choose, but looking at her mother she'd known the threat was real. She thought of how she'd felt this change coming… in the morning. The psychic gut moment. She almost had to laugh. It had been right again.

Looking at her mother as the taxi drove on, Veronica wondered what the threat was. It had been bugging her since her mother had first mentioned it. What WAS this threat? Who could have wanted to hurt her, to kill her? Sure, the 09ers could be brutal, but not to this point.

"Veronica?" She snapped out of the thought as her mother called her name. The car was stopping. "Come on." She got out of the car, following her mother. Another motel… Once inside, Veronica went right for the bed. "We'll figure this out more in the morning, I promise," Lianne told her.

"Okay." She closed her eyes and when she finally fell asleep shortly after she was crying. The next morning, when she opened her eyes, it took a moment for her to remember where she was.

"Good morning," her mother's voice sounded.

"Yeah, right…"

"I looked into things. There's a bus passing in an hour."

"I'll get dressed," she stood. Finally she saw her mother. Her hair was shorter, tied up.

"Before we go…"

"What?" Lianne held up a pair of scissors. "Oh…" Veronica held out her hand. Lianne seemed hesitant, like she couldn't let her go through with it for a moment. "It's okay, Mom," Veronica shrugged. "Just hand them over." Finally, she did so.

"I'm so…"

"Don't," Veronica shook her head, "Don't worry. Who am I to say no to a free makeover," she put on a smile for her mom. She walked into the bathroom.

Looking into the mirror, she sighed and undid her hair. Putting the band around a single ponytail, she took the scissors with a deep breath. She placed them above the band and cut in decisively. As the two sections split, Veronica blinked. She looked at the long hair left in her hand. "Brand new me…" she breathed. Finishing the cut, she found the image satisfying enough. It was odd to her, how different a simple hair cut made her appearance. It even changed her posture somehow. She cleaned up the little clippings, flushed them, and then grabbed the longer section and the scissors. She walked out of the bathroom.

"Let's go."

_HOURS LATER, SOMEWHERE IN ARIZONA_

"So… how's this going to work? Are we going to motel our way around the country forever?" Veronica asked her mother as they walked out of the bus station.

"No, of course not. But I don't think we can really settle down for a while." Veronica sighed. "It's just for maybe a week or two, I promise."

"How are you going to pay for all that?"

"I have some savings." They walked for a while, stopping in front of a store when Lianne touched her daughter's arm. "Are you sure you're okay? You haven't really said much since we got on the bus."

"Mom… you can't expect me to just be okay with this in a heartbeat."

"I realize that. I just can't help feeling like you hate me right now."

"Mom, I don't hate you…"

_"Veronica Mars…"_

Both froze, wondering where the voice had come from. They turned to the storefront. It was an electronics place, ranks of television sets sitting one on top of the other.

_"The Neptune Sheriff's Department is asking for your help tonight in locating this girl, who was reported to have been taken by force yesterday by her mother. If you have any information…"_

The two watched as their pictures came on screen. "Oh this can't be happening."

"What else did you expect, Mom? Dad won't let it go and you know it."

"Come on," Lianne took her daughter's hand and took her along. They walked for a while, finally reaching a small diner. "I have some friends who live around here. We can hide there to make arrangements, then we'll have to travel again." Veronica nodded. "I'll go make some calls. Stay here, don't draw attention to yourself." She nodded, watching her mother go. She looked out the window with a sigh. How had this become her life? Murder, kidnapping… She didn't like this at all.

Her thoughts halted as she spotted a truck outside. That logo, she knew it from some… her dad's new office! It was on the water cooler, that's where she'd seen it. She looked back into the diner. She spotted a man with a jacket displaying the same logo. He turned just a bit and she recognized him. He was the guy who'd been delivering the bottles.

She had to think fast. She saw a pen lying on the next table over and grabbed it. Taking some napkins, she hurriedly scribbled.

"_Dad, I'm sorry for what's happening. Mom had her reasons; don't blame her. In the end, I had to follow. Please forgive me for it, and for what I'm asking now. Pull the media out of this. They can't be involved. I love you, Dad, and I'll think about you every day. We'll be together again, promise. Hug Backup for me? Love, Veronica."_

She folded the napkin and on top wrote: _"Deliver to the offices of Mars Investigations in Neptune. DO NOT OPEN. Please."_ Veronica stood and went to the counter, grabbing a menu in case her mother was looking.

"Brook Waters, cool. We use those. Do you deliver in Neptune?" she asked casually, observing her menu.

"Yeah," the man nodded.

"Mm… so many choices," she smiled, leaning over to look at his plate. At the same time, she slipped the napkin in his jacket pocket. "Looks good. Think I'll try that," she gave a nod before returning to her booth with a sigh. Her mother returned.

"Okay, they're expecting us."

"Great," Veronica nodded. She watched as the deliveryman paid for his order and walked out. Through the window she watched him as he absently reached into his pocket. He stopped, finding the paper. He looked at it for a moment, and then looked back at the diner. Their eyes met, and hers were pleading with all they had. After a moment, he placed the napkin back in his pocket and got in his truck. Veronica's heart leapt… he had to do it, he had to do it, he had to…

"I… I was hoping we wouldn't have to resort to this, but…" She pulled out a small box from her bag. Veronica's eyes bugged out.

"No way."

"I wish there was another way. Look, it's not permanent, it'll wash out." She picked up the hair dye kit.

"This better be worth it."

Shortly after, Veronica sat in Lianne's friend's bathroom as her mother applied the reddish dye. She closed her eyes, scrunching her nose at the smell, letting her mind take her away.

_PAST (TEN YEARS AGO) – KANE HOME_

"I don't know about this…"

"Come on, Veronica! It'll be great!"

"We're gonna get hurt!"

"No we're not!"

"Are you sure?"

"You trust me, don't you?"

"Sure."

"Then come on!"

They ran across the hall of the Kane home, but then Lilly stopped her. "What?" Veronica asked.

"My mom's coming. Run!" The girls laughed as they climbed up the stairs. They stopped at the top, peering through the bars in the staircase as they crouched side by side. They watched Celeste Kane walked into view. She answered the door, where a man handed her an envelope.

"What do you think it is?" Veronica whispered to Lilly.

"Beats me." They watched as, once the man had gone, Celeste stood in the hall and opened the letter. Her eyes moved from left to right, reading the words, and even from afar, Veronica and Lilly noticed an obvious mounting emotion. The girls shared a look.

"What's happening?" Veronica asked Lilly, who just observed her mother. Celeste refolded the letter with fake calm, replaced it in the envelope, and walked back the way she'd come from.

"It was written by hand," Lilly remarked.

"Whatever it was, she sure got mad," Veronica shook her head.

_PRESENT – ONE WEEK LATER_

"One bedroom/living room, one kitchen, one bathroom. Everything works," the landlord told Lianne.

"That's perfect, we'll take it," she nodded.

"Alright Miss Healy, if you'll just sign here…"

It was still hard to get used to this particular change. No longer could they be called Lianne and Veronica Mars. Now they were Susan and Nina Healy. She was also being written off as sixteen years old, another thing to try and scatter the tracks.

"I'll take the couch. You can take the bed," Lianne told Veronica, who was "assessing" their new "home".

"If you want."

"I'll get started on looking for some stuff – TV, chairs…" She started for the door, then turned to Veronica.

"I'll be fine. I'm not going anywhere." Lianne nodded and left. Veronica lay back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. She was still trying to make peace with the whole situation, had been constantly since making the decision to follow her mother. One of the few reasons she wasn't as quiet as she'd been was that from what she could tell, her father had received her message. The media had pulled back. And now he knew she was okay. She would have given anything to be with him again, back home. But she had to stay realistic. She might not see him for some time.

Another thing she realized was that she'd need to change. She needed to look within herself and find courage and strength she'd ignored before. She didn't like what her world had become, but she wasn't about to let that destroy her. She was better than that and she would face the challenge head on with whatever it threw at her. She was ready for a fight.

_PAST – MONTHS AFTER_

"Thank you for taking her, we just can't make it," Lianne told Jake Kane, still holding on to her daughter's hand.

"It's no problem at all. I'm sure Duncan and Lilly will be glad to have her along, so it works out for everyone." They were quiet for a moment, nodding and politely smiling.

"Okay. You be good, okay?" Lianne looked down to Veronica. She nodded and Lianne kissed the top of her head. "See you Sunday."

Jake held out his hand to the young Mars with a smile and she took it. "Are you excited?" he asked her as they made their way over to the Kane car.

"Yeah! Lilly says the lake is enormous!" Jake laughed.

"Well I don't know about that, but it is pretty big. Are you a good swimmer?"

"I'm okay," she shrugged.

"Well, you don't have to worry. Celeste and I will make sure you're safe." They got up to the car, where Duncan and Lilly were in a "heated" conversation about who got to sit in the back with Molly the lab for the ride. Lilly spotted her father and Veronica approaching and her attitude changed right away.

"You're here!" she ran off to greet her. Veronica did the same, releasing Jake's hand. The friends arrived face to face, buzzing about the trip already as Celeste Kane stepped out of the Kane home.

"Jake? Did you pack the…" She paused at the sight of Veronica. "Oh… hello." She turned to her husband. "Where are her parents?"

"Oh they had a last minute thing, couldn't make it. We didn't think it'd be fair to Veronica if she couldn't come, so I offered to take her."

"How nice…"

"Celeste," he spoke evenly. She gave him a look, then plastered on a smile.

"Alright, off we go."

_PRESENT – A FEW DAYS LATER_

"Now see… after all this you want me to go to school?"

"Veronica…"

"Ah, ah, that's Nina."

Things were starting to get better between them, and Veronica was truly thankful. Things hadn't been this good between them since… since before Lilly… Still she knew her mother continued to worry, and so did she. They spent so much time looking over their shoulders they were expecting their necks to start hurting. So Veronica had decided she would make an effort, to make this easier on the both of them.

"I love you honey," Lianne smiled, kissing her daughter's forehead.

"Love you too."

Veronica stepped out of the car, tugged on the strap of her bag, and she turned to face the building. "Here goes nothing."

Walking into Keating High, she could still feel the ball of dread in the pit of her stomach she had been feeling walking into Neptune High in recent weeks. The students still gave her looks, but it was likely because she was new. Still, it didn't inspire much confidence. What if it was all the same and she'd spend her days longing for the final bell?

Her musings were interrupted by the sensation of someone's presence at her side. "Lost? No wait… new," the girl nodded, setting in motion a wave of red curls.

"Good call," Veronica blushed.

"Don't be shy about it now, assume it," the girl nodded, holding out her hand from beneath the books she held. "I'm Avery." Veronica returned the gesture with a smile. She opened her mouth to say her name and she had to be careful not to blurt her true name.

"Nina."

"Alright, well let's get you settled in and I'll introduce you to the saner population of Keating High."

"Okay," Veronica laughed.

After a stop over at administration and the lockers, Avery and "Nina" headed over to English, the first class of the day, which they shared.

"Check out what I found wandering through the halls," Avery addressed a trio in the back of the class.

"Newbie! Hey Newbie, I'm Natalie," spoke a short brunette with a wave. "And these two here, well they're pretty quiet, your basic eye candy," she nodded to the boys.

"What Nattie here means to say is I'm Jake, this is Sully," the first boy, a tall blonde, spoke of the second... ah, the second. Jet black hair and blue eyes, killer smile... Veronica blinked. She snapped out of it and answered.

"Hey, I'm Nina, Healy… Hi."

"Ah, here comes Mr. Roberts. Wanna know why we sit in the back?" Avery asked, indicating the man who walked in.

"Okay, settle down," he called to the class, projecting a spray of saliva. Veronica wasn't sure if she should wince or laugh as she sat with the four.

As the day passed, she was able to observe them. There was a quality about them… it reminded her of Them… herself, Lilly, Duncan, and Logan… A long time ago that really wasn't… it only felt like an eternity because every day had felt like a hundred. But Avery, Natalie, Jake, and Sully… they were a unit.

Her own observations of the handsome Sully were put to rest upon discovering he was deeply involved with Avery, had been for some time. In truth, she was remotely thankful. She wasn't ready for all these things again… Boyfriends, romance… With Duncan, their break-up, Shelly's party… romance was like a minefield. She was afraid any step in any direction would lead to destruction.

"So where are you from?" Avery asked as they walked to their next class, in the computer lab.

"Uh…" Veronica thought for a moment.

"What, is it a national secret? Are you a spy Nina Healy?" Avery whispered.

"No," Veronica grinned. "It's just… well, we move a lot lately." Which was true.

"Oh… that has to suck."

"You have no idea," Veronica drifted off for a moment.

"Hey, you okay?" Avery asked.

"Yeah," Veronica assured her.

"You seemed kind of sad for a moment there," she sounded concerned.

"It's nothing, really," Veronica shook her head. "It's just, you know, leaving people behind…"

"Yeah, probably not. But don't worry, you'll make new friends here."

"I think I have," Veronica smiled, to which Avery nodded in the affirmative. They walked into the lab and right away, Avery grabbed her arm and led her in one direction. "You know those jerky types every school has? Well there's the bulk of ours," she whispered and nodded to a group sitting on the other side of the room. "Try to stay out of their radar. They'll either try to corrupt you or destroy you. Neither is too appealing, so not getting noticed by them is your better option."

"Okay, got it," Veronica nodded. As she would later find out, these people made the 09ers look like puppies. Veronica and Avery sat at a pair of computers.

"Miss Moore's away for the week so we can just do whatever we want."

"Good to know," Veronica nodded. She really wanted to look into some things while she had internet access. She couldn't do it as freely with Avery sitting there, but she had to try. She went on the website for the local Neptune paper.

She'd never been so happy to see information from her town… go Pirate pride… As usual, there was a piece related to the Kane family, the accomplishments of the "stellar" Sheriff's Department, the events arranged by various 09er parents, always so charitable. Veronica shook her head silently with a smile. She'd never been so happy to peruse the usuals.

"The guy who invented pop-ups, what do you think he smoked?" Avery huffed. "What's that?" she asked, seeing "Nina's" screen. Veronica clicked away casually, trying not to look too obvious.

"Nothing. Just browsing."

"Mm mm," Avery nodded. Once she knew she was focused back on her crusade against pop-ups, Veronica brought the screen back up, continued to scroll down.

At the very bottom she encountered an ad that left her awestruck. It was a small ad linking to a brand new website – for Mars Investigations. She let the mouse hover around the small graphic for some time before finally clicking.

Finding her father's smiling face looking back at her, she could feel a tear roll down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away, remembering where she was. She looked the site over, every little link visited. It wasn't until a few visits that she started noticing things… little items displayed here and there which, to the casual observer, would mean nothing at all. To Veronica though, they meant much more.

But as she was about to try and look into it, the bell rang. "Ah, free at last!" Avery's voice startled her. Veronica closed the window and looked to Avery with a smile. "So. One day down. Happy?"

"Yeah…" Veronica stood. They walked out of the school together.

"So I'll see you tomorrow. Gym class, fun," Avery spoke sarcastically. Veronica laughed, looking about.

"There's my mom. I gotta go. Bye Avery."

"Later Nina." Veronica walked over to Lianne. She was smiling, bringing her daughter into a hug.

"Missed you today. Did you have fun?"

"Mom, it was school."

"Well, you made a friend, that's good. Did you learn anything interesting?" Veronica nodded.

"Yeah." Like that maybe her father was trying to reach her…

TBC


	4. Intermission, part II: Eve Walker

Note: Once again, the timeline is split in two.

**CHAPTER 4: INTERMISSION, PART II: Eve Walker**

_PRESENT – THREE MONTHS LATER_

"I was just standing there and I thought "Wow… so that explains a lot…" Avery spoke, laughing along with Veronica as they walked into school.

"Never underestimate the power of a…" They stopped at the sound of someone's sobs. Looking up, they saw it was Natalie, at her locker. Veronica and Avery shared a look before rushing over to their friend. "Nattie? What's wrong?" they ushered her away from curious eyes and into the girls' bathroom.

"My father's in jail," she finally mumbled out.

"What?" Avery and Veronica spoke at once.

"But he's innocent, I know he is. He would never do these things."

"What is he being accused of?" Veronica asked.

"They say he took some money that was supposed to go to one place but went to another…"

"How much money?" Avery asked.

Natalie looked up at her, then down as she squeaked, "Ten million." Before they could say anything, a sickly sweet giggle they'd learned to dread was heard and Candace Scott walked out of the center stall.

"Well isn't this funny? Turns out the felon thing is hereditary. The daughter, fashion criminal – the father…" she made a 'pout' then grinned powerful once more. "I'm sure everyone will love to hear all about daddy's little crime spree…" Natalie's lip quivered and in an instant, Veronica had Candace pinned to the wall.

"Nina!" Avery gasped. "Oh you did NOT just do that," Candace tried to sound in control, but they could see she was a bit freaked out.

"I'm thinking I did. Now here's the deal Candy. If I hear one word of this out there, well… you don't even want to know. Do we understand each other?" Both seemed to be checking if the other would budge for a moment. Finally, Candace rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, I'll let her off the hook. You on the other hand? Better look out."

"I'm not afraid of you. I've seen worse things…" Veronica finally let her go. After Candace was gone, she turned to Natalie. "It's gonna be okay. We'll get your dad out."

"H-how?" she blinked. Veronica paused, asking herself the same question.

"I don't know yet, but I'll find something, I promise."

Once they'd calmed Natalie down, they convinced her to take the day off. Once her brother had picked her up, Avery looked to Veronica. "Nina, what… you… How did you…" she blinked repeatedly. Veronica couldn't look at her, for fear of her face betraying her.

The last few months, though she seemingly settled in well enough, she also became much more aware of the need to ready herself for whatever would come. As far as she knew her life was still in danger, but if anyone thought she would take this lying down didn't know who her father was. Veronica would call on any bit of information her father had given her over the years, cherish them.

"Come on, better get to class."

For the rest of the day, Veronica could tell Avery wasn't sure how to address her, and she hated that she couldn't just tell her. The instances had to be piling up by now.

It had all started three months before, with the website. After her mother had picked her up, it was the only thing she could think about. So the next morning she'd asked to be dropped off early, under the pretense that she needed to familiarize herself with her new school. Once her mother's car had rounded the corner, she'd dashed back to the computer lab. She was the only one there, which she was glad for.

She'd made her way back to the office's site, not restricting the tears at the appearance of her father's face now. She kept it together though, knowing she didn't have much time. She started scribbling down all the items, where in the site they had been, and in what order she'd been able to access them. Once that was done, she'd gone to class. It took her two days straight to decipher what it all meant but finally it had given her a new web address.

She carried the folded notebook page in her back pocket for three days before finally sitting before a computer and entering the link.

The site was bare essentials, no pictures, no colors, just text. The text was all she cared about.

"_I don't know if or when you'll read this, but for now I have to hope this reaches you somehow. Veronica, know that I could never be mad at you. You're my daughter and I have to believe you did what you had to do. You have to understand though that forgiving your mother will be harder. But that's beyond your control, so I don't want you to feel bad about it, alright? I'm glad to hear you're safe. Got your note, was pleased to see you remembered what I taught you. I won't lie and say I'm not worried about you. I know this must take a lot of courage, so you just worry about doing that. I got this site set up so I could communicate to you. I don't know if you're reading this or if I'm just talking to myself. Backup is fine, but he misses his Veronica too. I hate having to write this without knowing if you'll ever read it, so I'm sorry if I sound off. The house is so quiet without you. I'll be waiting to hear you laugh again. Be brave Veronica. Love, with all my heart, Dad."_

She cried for twenty minutes straight.

After that, she was Nina Healy.

Her father wanted her to be brave, and part of that meant trying to get through this situation, the only thing she could do. Her father continued to write, telling her about things happening in his life, in Neptune. She still checked the newspaper site, knowing he wouldn't tell her everything.

Becoming Nina, creating her, was a thing she had to handle with care. She couldn't go and exaggerate but she couldn't stay Veronica. She used her fear, used her anger and determination, used everything at her disposal at the moment and emerged with a stronger presence in life. If Lilly could see her now…

_PAST – AT THE BEACH HOUSE_

"Duncan, stop it!" Lilly screeched as he held a worm out at her.

"Okay, okay!" he relented. He turned to show it to Veronica and she let out a little squeak, moving back a bit. Duncan shook his head and threw the worm into the water. "Dad brought action movies, but he says we're too young to watch them."

"Or you're too scared," Lilly teased.

"Am not!" Duncan insisted.

"Okay Mr. Cry Baby," Lilly laughed, joined in by Veronica.

"Don't call me that!"

"Why, are you gonna cry?" Duncan smirked, kicking his foot in the water, splashing the three of them. "Duncan!" Lilly shouted. He stood, jumping off the dock with a holler. Lilly grinned and jumped in after him. Veronica followed suit.

"You can't catch me!" Duncan called, swimming away.

"We can too!" Veronica called back as she and Lilly swam after him.

"We're gonna get you Donut!"

Over on shore, Celeste observed as her husband looked over the children smilingly. "Look at them go," he was laughing.

"Yes," Celeste did so, smiling as she saw her son and daughter swimming happily. Her smile wavered a bit at the sight of the young Mars. "I should get lunch settled," she turned toward the house just as a high-pitched scream was heard, sounding more panicked than joyous. Still, Celeste was distracted, and it was her husband's voice that drew her back.

"Oh my God…" As she turned, he was already running. "Veronica!"

_PRESENT – A WEEK LATER, "HEALY" HOME_

"Veronica, do you realize what you've done?" Lianne paced around the living room.

"I was helping a friend," she spoke, voice controlled unlike her mother's.

"You've exposed us."

"I haven't."

"We have to move…"

"What? No!" she stood from the couch.

"Your name's in the police report."

"No, Nina Healy's name's in the report."

"If this gets checked they'll figure it out. We may not be exposed yet, but…"

"That's right. We're not exposed yet, and for all we know we never will be."

"We can't take that chance."

"Mom, you've already made me change schools in the middle of a year once, I can't do it again!"

"Veronica…"

"Mom, please… Just…" She paused, approaching her mother. "It's just a few weeks. Let me finish the school year, and then we'll go. I swear." Lianne hesitated for a minute.

"Alright." Lianne smiled, hugging her daughter.

Going to bed shortly after, Veronica looked at the ceiling. They had cleared Natalie's father. She could hardly believe it herself. She didn't know if it was because she missed her father, but she'd loved this. She'd felt exhilarated, alive… it was a good feeling. But she couldn't kid herself. She knew she couldn't do this too often.

The fact that her name, her fake name, had landed in the report had been an unfortunate accident. She had tracked the true culprit, and he was going to leave town. She'd had no choice but to call it in, to involve herself openly. She'd faked a loss of consciousness before him, stalling him. The bump on her head would be completely worth it. The police had come, the guilty party was arrested thanks to their tips. She hadn't spoken with Avery yet, but she'd no doubt have many questions the next day in school.

_A FEW WEEKS LATER_

Veronica sighed as she walked into Keating High. At this moment, her mother was home, packing. This would be her last day at Keating High, her last day as Nina Healy. That wasn't the hardest part. The hardest would be leaving Avery, and Natalie, and Jake, and Sully. They still had no idea.

As was now almost routine, she walked into the computer lab to "check up on Neptune". There was something about this that made her feel like a Peeping Tom… Peeping Veronica. The Neptune site had nothing of interest to report, neither had her father's. He usually updated every week or so, but this week's hadn't come yet. She'd have to wait until they were… wherever it was they were going. Her mother hadn't told her about that yet, perhaps didn't even know herself yet. Veronica sighed, leaving the lab.

She hated this. She was worried about leaving her friends, and this English final was not something she wanted to think about at the moment. Did it even matter? These were Nina Healy's grades. They didn't belong to Veronica Mars; she hadn't been in school in months. Whoever she would be now would have whatever grades her forged records would have. So what did it matter if she showed up at this test?

She stopped walking then. She looked at the room ahead, at the exit on the end of the hall. Her feet wavered from one direction to the other. After a moment more, she turned and slowly walked out of Keating High. She walked on the lawn, looking up at the building. She sat in the grass, not really thinking about anything or even wanting to.

Lost in thought, she must have lost track of time, because the next thing she knew, Avery was standing before her.

"Nina, where were you? You missed the final." Veronica continued to look into nowhere. Avery sat in front of her. "What's going on?" she asked calmly. Veronica felt the urge to cry but resisted it – a gift from the Nina personality book.

"I'm going away."

"What?" Avery asked.

"My mother and I are leaving town."

"Nina…" she spoke, then stopped. She was quiet for a few minutes, the two of them in an eye lock. "Who are you?" Veronica blinked.

"What?"

"Your name's not even Nina, is it?"

"What…"

"For months, something felt strange about you, not right… this is my only conclusion, especially with this info now. Are you in witness protection or something?" Veronica rubbed at her eyes.

"No."

"Really?"

"Really."

"It still doesn't… Is Nina Healy your name or not?" Her hand slipped slowly away from her face, looking at her friend.

"No…" Avery seemed to process this information. "I… My name is Veronica."

"Veronica…" Avery repeated.

"I'm not in Witness Protection, but I am on the run. Someone… I don't know who they are, what they want or why they want it… they threatened my mother… that they would hurt me…"

"My God…"

"You can't tell anyone. Not Nattie, Jake, Sully, no one. Ever. Avery, you have to promise."

"You have my word," she nodded. There was a honk and Veronica didn't even need to look.

"That's my mom. I have to go." She stood, facing Avery. "I'm going to miss you the most." She smiled.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but… try to write me? Let me know you're okay?" Veronica nodded. They hugged, and Veronica got in the car, bidding farewell to Nina Healy.

_A FEW DAYS LATER_

Veronica looked around the tiny apartment. Well it was an improvement from the last place, thanks to her mother's job back there. This time they each had a bed. So far her mother hadn't brought up any kind of a makeover, though for all she knew, she was working up to that. She had to do her color soon anyway, or she'd start coming up blonde. Blonde wouldn't work. Blonde was Veronica Mars. Blonde wasn't Nina Healy, and now it wasn't Eve Walker. That was her new name. She was sounding it out in her head, trying to adjust. Her mother was now Caroline Walker, though she was usually just "mom", so she didn't have to think about it so much.

"So what are you going to do this summer?" her mother asked, unpacking their few belongings.

"Oh, I don't know. Vacation… well that's pretty much out of the question. Can't hang out with friends because they're… dead or in another state… So I don't know, maybe catch up on soaps. What are they up to these days?" she spoke, trying to tame the slight snap in her voice.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked…" Lianne sighed.

"It's okay." Veronica stood, going to help her mother unpack. "I was thinking a job. Nothing fancy, I don't know."

"I think it's a great idea," Lianne nodded and Veronica smiled.

"So… what's the story with the Walker women?"

"Oh, I don't know…"

"Can I drawl? Oh please can I drawl? I love me a twang," she spoke with her requested accent. Lianne laughed.

"Well sure!" she did the same.

"Nice," Veronica grinned, and Eve Walker was born.

_PAST – STILL AT THE BEACH HOUSE_

"Veronica!" Jake dove into the water, swimming after the young girl struggling to keep above water.

"Duncan, Lilly! Get back here right now!" Celeste called to her children. They floated still by their friend, freaked out and unsure what to do. "Duncan! Lillian! Now!" Celeste called louder. Finally they looked to her and started swimming back. Celeste lifted them back to the dock one by one, putting towels over them. They stood, shivering, looking on as Jake swam over with Veronica hanging limply on his back.

"Celeste, take her!" he panted as he reached the shore. She did so, taking her up and resting her in her lap as she sat on the dock.

"Veronica!" Lilly cried, but stood back as her father got back on the dock.

"Be careful!" he told his daughter. The upset in his voice caught Celeste then. She watched as her husband tended to the tiny blonde. "Veronica? Look at me… look at me…" he pleaded. She was conscious, barely, tired from the struggle. Jake gently lifted the strands of hair plastered from her face. Her eyes blinked about, dazed. "You're going to be okay, alright? I promise." He picked her up then, addressing his wife. "Come on, we have to take her to the hospital."

There was a moment where she couldn't move. The dawning of sudden realization was paralyzing. Eventually she did stand. She drove, Duncan sitting in the seat next to her but constantly looking back, and Jake and Lilly in the back with Veronica. This was it, her fears were coming true… and she couldn't do anything about it.

_PRESENT – A MONTH LATER_

"Here's your change. Come again," Veronica finished with her customer as another flagged her down.

She really liked working in the diner, it was a place which allowed her just enough social interaction for her tastes, so she couldn't hope for more… well, except for home of course, but that was just something else entirely.

"Welcome to the Roadside Diner, what can I get you?" she dispensed her usual greeting to the customer with his nose in the menu, whipping out her order pad and pen. He didn't budge. "Sir? Can I take your order?"

"Veronica Mars…" She stopped, gripping on to the pad in sudden fear. It dissipated a little when the man lowered his menu. She knew the stunned face, and for once she was almost glad to see him.

"M-Mr. McCormack."

"Please, call me Cliff… Eve?" he read off her nametag. She touched her fingers to it for a moment before running them through her hair.

"How… how'd you find me?" she whispered, dropping the Eve twang.

"Just came in for breakfast. I wasn't looking for you. I was called in to help with a case, but it looks like a more interesting one has come along."

"Please," she leaned over the counter. "You can't tell anyone you saw me here, no one. Cliff…"

"Now a few months back, after your… kidnapping… your father asked me to help pull the media off your case, and I wondered why. You've been communicating?"

"No… It was just the one time. Look, I'm serious. You can't tell him. You never saw me." He looked at her for a moment.

"I'll have pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee, black… Eve." She smiled.

"Coming right up," she spoke, back in her persona. Before walking toward the kitchen though… "How is he?"

"Miserable. He misses his little girl," he spoke honestly. Veronica stood there for a moment, feeling that guilt again.

"She misses him too."

_PAST – ONE HOUR LATER, HOSPITAL_

"I called Keith and Lianne, they're on their way," Jake told Celeste as he found her dealing with a barely functioning coffee machine.

"Good. What'd you tell them?" she asked, still pushing at the buttons.

"That she had an accident, but we got her out in time, and the doctors said that, with some rest, she'd be just fine." He sighed, rubbing at his face as he rested against the side of the machine. "For a moment…"

"What?" Celeste asked, finally getting some success with the machine.

"We could have lost her… just a moment longer and…"

"She's fine, Jake, you said so yourself. Stop worrying about it," she handed him the cup.

"I can't…" he took a sip.

"Why?" He didn't speak. "How long have you known?" He looked at her. "Did Lianne Mars just pull you to the side one day and go 'By the way, there's a possibility…'"

"Stop."

"I wasn't sure if you knew, but after today…"

"Celeste…"

"I saw it in your eyes, you thought your _daughter_ was dying…"

"Enough!" he turned back to her, not running anymore. Celeste stood as tall as he did.

"She is not one of us, Jake. You have two children, our children, no more. Remember that."

"Sorry to wound your pride, but for all I know, that may not be the case."

"Then ask for a test."

"I can't," he turned again.

"Why not?" He remained quiet. "Keith. Of course."

"How did you even find out?" Celeste smirked to herself.

"I received a letter, months ago. Someone informed me of your little secret."

"Who?" he asked.

"Didn't say. It was signed 'A.K.'" Jake turned to his wife, taking her by the hands.

"Celeste, listen to me. I'm not sure what's going to happen after today. Whether or not she's mine, I promise I won't let that change anything for us," he spoke, his voice shaking a little. "But I need to know you're with me on this." Celeste matched his look, softening.

"'Til death do us part." He nodded, smiling.

"That's right."

"Daddy?" They turned, finding Lilly standing quietly by. Whether or not she'd been standing there all along was not of concern at the moment. Jake approached his daughter, lifting her into his arms.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I'm thirsty," she explained.

"Okay, let's get you some juice. Where's your brother?"

"With Veronica and Nurse Terry."

"Are you okay? You had a scary moment back there," Celeste walked over, gently brushing at the young Kane's hair.

"Is Veronica gonna be okay?" Lilly asked, her voice small and frightened.

"Of course she will be. So will we all," Jake smiled, looking to his wife on the last part. She still looked unsure, but for their daughter's sake she focused on their family moment.

"Come on, let's go," Celeste guided them back to the room. Duncan was asleep in a chair.

Veronica was awake and well.

_PRESENT – LATER, BACK AT THE DINER_

Veronica wiped at the counter, thankful for the quiet of closing time. There were still a few stragglers here and there, nothing to keep her 'busy' though. But she loved the time. After long days, it was a period where she could start unwinding, where her thoughts allowed themselves to roam back into the open of her mind.

What they gave her to think about varied with each night – the last letter Avery had e-mailed her, the screaming matches of the couple next door, the weather forecast for the next day… But she wasn't kidding herself. Eventually, the subject always found its way back to home.

These days, she mostly thought about her bed, her room, all these little things she'd left behind. She thought about the torn pair of pants she'd left on her desk. She was going to mend them that day after school.

But no. Instead she'd been taken by her mother, unwillingly, then willingly… and she'd left it all behind.

Sometimes she had trouble picturing it – her bed, her room, and all those little things. Home had become not so much a place as a concept, one that seemed too distant now. But she craved it more than anything. All she wanted in the world was her home, her dog, and her father.

"I think it's clean now," Veronica turned.

"Mr… Cliff… What are you doing here?"

"Had a feeling you were holding back on me before. Was there anything else you needed?" Veronica put her rag down, wiping her hands on her apron before indicating an empty booth.

"Just give me a couple minutes, okay?"

Cliff went to sit as Veronica looked about. A few minutes later, the last customers were gone. After going into the back to change into her street clothes, she returned, pouring and carrying over two cups of coffee. Sitting across from each other, they remained quiet, fixing their coffees to their likings.

"What'd Dad been up to? Is he working?" Veronica spoke first.

"Oh he's working. He's working himself senseless. I have never seen a man get into that much diversion work." Veronica looked into her cup.

"He's looking for me," she stated rather than asked.

"What do you think? This is Keith Mars we're talking about. Half the time I have to watch him or he'll go in too deep." Veronica looked up.

"You have to get him to slow down," she pleaded, worrying for her father's safety in these attempts to find her.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?"

"Try harder," her voice broke.

"Now how am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know… Look, I don't know how long it'll be before I can go home again. I need to know that my dad's gonna be okay." Cliff sighed, drinking his coffee.

"I'll do my best, but you know as well as I do there's only one thing that'll put him at peace."

"Goes both ways," Veronica nodded to herself. Cliff stood.

"I should be heading to the airport. Listen, I'll try…"

"Can you make sure… he doesn't find me?" she asked after a moment.

"I'm not sure I like the sound of this. If he finds out I'm in contact with you behind his back…"

"Let me worry about that. I'll keep you updated, just… divert him if he gets close."

"Whatever's going on, I know you'll make it. You're your father's daughter." She kept thinking, once he'd gone, how she hoped he was right.

TBC


	5. Intermission, part III: Laura Winters

Note: Once again, the timeline is split in two. Sorry it took so long… got sidetracked with some things ;)

CHAPTER 5: INTERMISSION, PART III: Laura Winters

_A MONTH LATER, AT THE DINER_

"I need to talk to you."

"Mom, I'm working," Veronica sighed, walking past her mother deliver the plates balanced on her arms before she dropped them.

"It's important," Lianne followed.

"I kind of have my hands full, literally. Can't it wait?" Lianne stopped following. The moment the last plate had been released though she grabbed her daughter's arm and took her to the side. "Okay, guess it can't."

"We have to leave."

"I had a feeling that would be it," she sighed. "When?"

"Tonight." After her mother went back to the apartment to pack, Veronica went to tell her boss about leaving. The woman had been a complete angel to her, and she continued to be one here. She paid her for the time she was due and wished her luck. She left the diner feeling The Sadness again that same one she'd felt over leaving their last home, which was still only half of The Sadness she felt over Neptune. With every relocation she felt another piece of herself lost. With every new name it was another life history to cram in, and it was going to get crowded and confused if this kept up.

Returning to the apartment, she helped her mother pack. She was told that the reason they were leaving this time was that their neighbor from two doors down was giving them looks, like he was trying to place where he'd seen them before. Lianne didn't want to leave him the chance to figure it out. Veronica wanted to tell herself that her mother was just being paranoid but in their case paranoia could well be a founded intuition. They couldn't take the chance to ignore it.

So they packed up their lives once more, disappearing a few more states over. These drives still felt odd to Veronica, like she shouldn't be doing it. The transition was time where, for a small period, she could be Veronica Mars again. Problem was she wasn't sure who that was anymore. They arrived in the new town on a bright August morning. They stayed in a hotel for three days before finding an apartment.

She was now Laura Winters; her mother was Jeanne Winters. She had been able to get on good terms with her mother now, having had months to do so. But as they settled in this place, she found she couldn't force herself to reinvent who she was. She didn't want to think about what Laura's life had been like, what she liked to do, what her favorite movie was… She didn't want to try. She didn't tell her mother about her little "existential crisis," knowing she worried and apologized with her eyes so much everyday as it was. So she battled on, little soldier Mars-Healy-Walker-Winters-whatever…

They lived in a small apartment building. Their neighbors across the hall were a young married couple and their two children. Veronica would soon find herself babysitting Sarah and Dean, at least two or three times a week. Below them was an elderly couple, always cranky and bickering but so much in love. Next to them lived the landlord, always trying to rope any of them to listen to his stories from the war. She came to cherish each of them, and she would never have come out of her "rut" without them, no doubt.

She met the kids on the morning after she moved in. She opened her eyes, looked at the window, and there they were. They shared a balcony. Veronica gasped at first, relaxing when she saw they were only children. Dean was six, with a mess of brown hair on his head. His eyes were as ocean blue as his sister's. Sarah was four, with shiny blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. They perked and waved to her when they saw she was awake. She smiled and waved back. She sat up, pushing the window open.

"Hi," she greeted them.

"Hi," Sarah squeaked, followed by her brother.

"You're new?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Veronica nodded, needing to pause for a moment to remember which name to give. "I'm Laura."

"I'm Dean, that's Sarah," he introduced. "We live next door."

"Well it's nice to meet you."

"What are you two doing out here?" came a woman's voice. She had the same eyes, the same hair as little Sarah, so it didn't take long to figure out who she was.

"New person!" Sarah proudly announced.

"Hi," Veronica laughed, still sitting on her bed.

"Hey, hope they didn't wake you."

"No, not at all."

"I'm Tracy Keats," she reached in to shake her hand.

"Laura Winters, hi."

PAST – A FEW WEEKS LATER

"What'd she say?" Veronica asked Lilly as she returned to the room.

"She says we're going out so you can't stay," Lilly sighed. "Did you know about that?"

"I don't even think we're going anywhere," Lilly shook her head.

"What makes you say that?" Veronica asked as Lilly plopped back down on her stomach next to her friend in front of the television.

"Well…"

"What is it?" Lilly looked around.

"Remember last week? The dress fitting we just had to go to?"

"Yeah?" Veronica nodded.

"They were fixing Duncan's suit so I was sneaking around. I heard Mom and Dad arguing."

"About what?"

"You?"

"What?"

"Dad said he was… tired of humoring her escapist attempts," Lilly thought to recall and pronounce the words her father had used. "And then Mom said "Call it what you want, the way I see it we're doing Keith and Lianne a favor,"" she spoke, imitating her mother. Seeing it wasn't amusing Veronica this time, she dropped it.

"Why does your mother hate me?" Lilly shrugged.

"She's weird."

"She didn't use to be."

"She has issues. At least that's what her head doctor says," Lilly laughed. "Look, it doesn't matter what she says or does."

"It doesn't?"

"Nope. You and I are gonna be best friends forever Veronica Mars." She smiled at that. "Come on, let's go bug Duncan," she grabbed her hand and they ran off together laughing.

_PRESENT – A MONTH LATER_

"Can we have ice cream?" Dean asked, to his sister's cheerful agreement.

"After lunch, okay?" Veronica told them as they returned from the park. They protested for a moment, but they got over it. "Hey Mrs. Mills," Veronica nodded to the old woman.

"Hello Laura," she smiled before turning and yelling through the door. "Rod! We're gonna be late!" Veronica jumped and the kids laughed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" they heard Mr. Mills yell back. He teetered out the door a minute later.

"Where's your hat?" Mrs. Mills asked.

"I'm not wearing it," he batted at the air.

"Rodney Mills! You will wear your hat like the doctor told you to!"

"Or what, you'll ground me, Mother?"

"Don't bring her into this…" Then he smiled, pulling the hat from inside his jacket. Mrs. Mills smiled back, shaking her head. He put it on and offered his hand. Veronica smiled as she watched them walk away arm in arm.

"Laura, come on!" the kids snapped her out of it.

"Okay," she nodded as they entered the building. They got to the apartment and after making lunch and having Sarah and Dean eat, they had the ice cream. Watching them eat, it was crazy how they reminded her of Duncan and Lilly. There was just this thing about them, she couldn't explain it but it didn't matter t her.

During the rest of the day, Veronica played many games with the kids. Finally, it was their bedtime. After they were asleep, Veronica sat in front of the television. She could see the computer, tried to ignore it. She managed to do that for a good twenty minutes before the need to check became too strong. She logged on to the internet, covered her tracks to make sure the Keats wouldn't find the link once she was done. There was a new letter. She'd noticed a decrease in his mood over the months and she hated that she could tell but couldn't do anything about it. His letters had slowly become a simple retelling of events going on around Neptune. One part caught her attention most of all.

"_In one month it will have been a year since Lilly's murder. I've been told the Kanes are preparing to unveil a memorial at the school."_

With everything, she'd almost forgotten about the anniversary. Maybe she just didn't want to think about it. There was an advantage to all of this running and hiding. She was able to make the memory of losing Lilly go into the folds of her mind, where it didn't hurt as much. She hadn't forgotten though. If anything she'd felt the day looming for some time now. She wanted to be there, she wanted to be home for this, but she couldn't. Whoever was after them could well be expecting her to be there, use it as an opportunity to get her. So she couldn't be there… physically. There had to be some other way though.

_SEPTEMBER 30TH 2004_

"Well if it isn't Miss Eve… or did you change it again?" Cliff's voice rang into her ear.

"Are you alone?" Veronica asked.

"Sadly yes. I'm assuming this isn't a social call?"

"You assumed right."

"I'm listening."

"Have you heard about this memorial the Kanes are putting up for Lilly?"

"Yes?"

"I need to be there."

"Great. I'm sure your father'll be…"

"No, you don't understand. I need to be there but I can't."

"Not sure I see what you're getting at…"

"Can you get your hands on a pin camera?"

_TWO WEEKS LATER_

She'd gotten the call from the mailbox place that morning. Her mother was at work. She couldn't wait through the school day, so she just didn't go, instead borrowing the Keats' car and driving over. She'd had it sent just out of state so she didn't call attention to their location. It took her two hours to get there. Waiting her turn seemed impossibly long. Finally she got the package.

Heading back to the car, the package seemed impossible to carry and not open. She resisted the urge until she was back behind the wheel. Sitting there in the crowded little parking lot, the pounding in her chest was unbearable. Eventually she couldn't bear it anymore and she reached for the package. She brushed her fingers against the Neptune postage stamp before reaching for the side and tearing the envelope open. She turned it over, putting her hand at the opening to receive the contents: A disc in a plastic case and a smaller envelope.

She looked at the disc, on which had been written "LKM"… the Lilly Kane Memorial. She knew it would be a few hours before she could even watch it, but just holding it in her hands was relieving some of her stress in a way. She opened the small envelope, pulling out two sheets. She unfolded them and found a list of names, addresses and numbers with items like "cars", "buses", "tech" categorizing them. At the top it said _"Working with your father I've come to know of some people whose services might be helpful to you if need be. I count myself as one of those, I hope you already know."_

Veronica took a deep breath. All these touches of home made her feel more herself than she had in months. She respected her mother's choices, really. But as time went on she got more and more of a need to know more – about this threat against her, about why she couldn't stop thinking about Lilly and herself, about Celeste Kane, and about this feeling she couldn't help having that it was all somehow connected.

Two hours or so later, she was back at the small apartment building. When she got there, the landlord was sitting out front. He looked up at the sound of the approaching vehicle. "Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked as she got out of the car.

"Dentist's appointment, Mr. Jeffries," she explained.

"I see," he nodded. The man was hard to read, but she could still tell he probably knew she was lying. She hurried in, having more important things on her mind. She used the keys she was given to get into the Keats' apartment. As she waited for the computer to finish setting itself, she fiddled with the disc case in her hand. What was this feeling in her gut doing there? She hadn't had one in some time and she wasn't sure how she felt about its presence now.

She inserted the disc and held her breath as she hit 'play'. The shot's shaky feel told her Cliff was walking about. Just seeing the random people standing around made her heart beat faster in leaps and bounds.

She saw Logan Echolls, standing in the crowd, keeping it cool but looking a bit uncomfortable at the same time. She remembered the last time she saw him, moments before being called out of class, how his little prank had made her feel. It made her realize how much she'd changed over these last months. She hadn't given it much thought at first, but now recalling that day, she knew it was true.

As Cliff moved further along, Veronica saw Duncan, then Jake and Celeste Kane. There they stood, together but at the same time so distant and alone. A lot was going on in each of their minds, but what those things were… who knew? The Kane parents were keeping up appearances, but Duncan looked sort of lost in his own world there. Veronica knew him pretty well once upon a time, she could almost tell what he was thinking now and then. But that instance recorded by Cliff wasn't one of them. _'What's going on in your head, Duncan?'_ she thought.

"Cliff?" a voice brought her crashing back. He and the camera wavered and turned. The man approaching was Keith Mars alright, yet Veronica saw something on his face – The Sadness, the thing she'd been trying to cope with for a few months shy of a year. Her fingers instinctively and shakily reached to the screen.

"Keith. Didn't think I'd see you here," Cliff spoke.

"Neither did I," he looked around, almost searching, and Veronica understood. He thought she'd be there.

"Well… it's quite a turn out," Cliff broke through the awkwardness.

"She's missed by many," Keith answered, no doubt thinking about more than Lilly Kane. In his crowd scannings, he caught a glance from Celeste and Veronica had to pause the playback. In all the years she'd been friends with Lilly, she'd seen a lot of Mrs. Kane, and she came to know some things about her, about her responses. The one she gave finding Keith at her daughter's memorial struck Veronica inexplicably. Something about it bugged her, but she didn't understand why.

After a moment, she started the video again. There was standing around for a minute more before Celeste took her place at the stand. She gave a speech something that gave her a chuckle at how expected it was. Classic Celeste.

What came next was hard to put into words. The lights dimmed and a video montage came up on a screen behind the Kanes. Clips of home videos, of Lilly through the years – horseback riding, ballet… It was so – so – not Lilly. She may have been present physically in every shot, but it didn't show who Lilly was. If it was ever caught on tape by Celeste she likely erased it or something, anything to evade embarrassment, even if "The Real Lilly" was the price. It didn't matter. Anyone who met Lilly would know who she was. So let Celeste Kane have her dream daughter. The world had known Lilly, in all her glory.

After everything was over, people started to disperse. Veronica blinked, swearing she'd seen Weevil at the back of the crowd. As she returned home across the hall, Veronica wondered what all this meant. What was going on with Duncan, the Kanes, her father… everyone… Something wasn't right that much she knew. But what could she do about it, hundreds of miles away?

Then, three weeks later, the universe threw another curveball her way. Looking into the happenings of Neptune, she came upon a piece of news that gave her pause.

"_Koontz dismisses counsel."_

Reading on, it only got more and more puzzling. In the end, it left her with the urge to be home. But she couldn't. There was the threat against her life, this thing that had been hanging ominously over her head. Her mother had said she'd tell her more later, but now she realized she still hadn't done this. For the next few weeks, she tip-toed around the subject. She couldn't confront her mother it seemed.

But one November day she did. She waited in the living room for her to return from work. Once she did it took Lianne just one look at her daughter to know she had something serious on her mind. "Who's after me?" Veronica started. Lianne shook her head.

"I don't…"

"Mom, say it, say… something," Veronica pleaded as she stood.

"You don't understand, you… you can't…"

"I can't if you don't say anything."

"I don't know who it is!"

"You do too!" Lianne turned away. Veronica took a breath before speaking again. "How about this: What proof do you have?" Lianne sat on the couch.

"I received some pictures."

"What kind of pictures?"

"Pictures of you, with… with a target aimed at your head," her voice broke. This made Veronica stagger a moment.

"Why would they do that?" her voice became caught in her throat as well.

"Please…" Lianne shook her head, looking away.

"Mom, come on," Veronica went to sit on her knees on the ground before her mother, taking her hands, "I have to know…"

"I can't…"

"Yes, yes, you can. Please, I need to…"

"This is too much… it would hurt too much, I…"

"You can take it, you owe me that m…"

"It's not me it would hurt," Lianne stopped her. "And I can't do that to you," she cried. Veronica shuddered back doubt and charged forward.

"Just tell me." Lianne hesitated a moment longer, almost bracing herself as much as Veronica was.

"It's about your father sweetie… He might… not be."

Automatically, as the words and their significance introduced themselves into her mind, Veronica fought with all her might to make them leave. "No, no, it's… crazy, it's… I can't believe you would say that!" she stood back on her feet, backing away. Lianne stood as well, trying to approach her daughter.

"I'm sorry," she cried, "I wish it…" With each step Lianne took, Veronica shook her head and backed up further.

"No, you can't do this! You can't take me from my home, make me abandon my whole life, my father, make us run around the country for months, change our names, try to outrun a supposed threat that, as of yet, hasn't manifested itself in the least, and then tell me that my father may not be my father! You can't, and I won't listen to this insanity!" The more she spoke, the more her voice rose, shook, broke, got drowned in a rising amount of tears. When she finished, she was breathing heavily, her hands were shaking. As Lianne watched and listened, her composure was withering away as well.

"I never wanted things to get like this!"

"Yeah, but they did! A-and I… I don't even know who I am anymore! All these names, all these made-up stories, I can't tell where I belong in all of them. I need to have a life, a real one… I can't go on like this…" she cried. Lianne observed her daughter, fully aware of what she was saying.

"Alright, sweetheart… I agree; we need change. But we still can't go home. What we can do is make one last move – a permanent one. When we get there, it'll be for good. We'll stay, we'll buy a house." Veronica stayed in place for a minute, then she spoke evenly.

"We'll talk in the morning. I'm… tired."

"Okay," Lianne nodded, watching her go to her room, sitting back slowly, crying still.

In her room, Veronica crumpled into a crying mess as well. This night had not turned up the results she had hoped for. All it had given her were new questions, new fears, and a new reality. She had always believed that this would end someday, that she'd get to go home. Instead, she had to see before her the likelihood that she could never go home. And the things her mother had said… that her father… she wouldn't even entertain the thought.

After sitting there for an hour or so, Veronica stood and grabbed her phone, going out the window to sit on the balcony. It was cold, but she didn't think about it. She dialed, then waited through the ring tones.

"Cliff McCormack," he identified himself. Veronica sighed.

"It's me. Can you talk?" There was a pause.

"Just a second," he spoke to her, then to someone who must have been with him, "Order me another one? I have to take this. And don't eat it all while I'm gone. Don't give me that look." A moment later, he was back on the line. "Sorry…"

"Hot date?" she asked, trying not to alarm him with her tone.

"Hardly. Now what can I do for you?"

"I called… to say thank you, and… to say goodbye."

"Pardon?"

"We're moving again, for good this time, a permanent new identity. I thought this would get resolved, but it won't. If I'm going to make this work, I can't keep… holding on to the past."

"What are you saying? This can't be what you want…"

"It's going to have to be. Thank you again, for everything." She paused, closing her eyes. "Take care of him for me…" She hit the 'end' button and slowly placed the phone at her feet before lowering her head, burying her hands in her hair. She was shaking, all over. She didn't want to go back inside until it had calmed a bit.

She sat there for two hours, looking at the sky. The words she'd spoken to Cliff had come before she'd completely grasped what she'd be committing to. Giving up on who she was… could she really do it?" She didn't want to face it, but it was all she could do not to spend the rest of her life feeling the pain that had plagued her for months.

Veronica reentered her room, going back into the living room, then to her mother's. She was lying on her bed, the light still on. "Honey?" she blinked.

"Promise… promise me this will be the last time."

"Absolutely. No more running." Veronica nodded.

"Are you…" She looked down. "Are you positive… about…"

"Honey, come here…" Veronica came to sit next to her mother. "I've done things in my life I'm not proud of. And what we talked about… I'm hoping I'm wrong, I really am… but I might not be…" Veronica nodded, the tears starting again. Lianne drew her into her arms, shushing as she smoothed her daughter's hair.

The next morning, they woke up and started packing. When they hit the road a few days later, neither could speak, couldn't think. So they turned on the radio and let the songs soothe their nerves all the way into their new lives. No matter what they'd gone through, the future was ahead of them and they couldn't afford to look back.

TBC


	6. Intermission, part IV: Sarah Dean

Note: Once again, the timeline is split in two. Hee, I got all inspired by the anticipation for the premiere. I finished it like two minutes before it started!

CHAPTER 6: INTERMISSION, PART IV: Sarah Dean

_A WEEK LATER, PHILADELPHIA _

Veronica sat in the still relatively bare living room of their new home. The house wasn't too big, but not too small either. It had a fireplace, something they cherished these days. It was very different from winter in Neptune. The temperature, the snow… She sat, huddled and wrapped in a blanket, looking into the fire. She looked down to the ground, where she'd laid out her map. She'd taken it from the room in the first motel, something the last occupant had left behind. On it, she'd traced their whole journey.

Each new home had a red star drawn on. Nina, Eve, Laura – New Mexico, Tennessee, Illinois. There was no star over Pennsylvania, no line snaking over the roads that had transported her from Laura Winters of Rockford to Sarah Dean of Philly. Maybe she'd selected this name, knowing she'd miss those who'd inspired it, as the travel line rather than the map. She knew that if there was one thing she needed to give up to make this really permanent, it wouldn't be the letter, the disc, or anything of the sort. Those had been put in a shoebox, hidden. What she needed to rid herself of was the map.

Taking one last look over the track of their journey, she then slowly folded it back closed. She held it in her hands for a few minutes, eyes closed. She'd worked hard not to let herself cry since they left, and as she threw the map into the flames and watched it slowly break down, she continued to keep it together. Her hypnotized gaze into the fire was broken shortly after as her mother returned.

"Sorry it took so long. I wasn't sure which place would be best…" she came to sit next to her daughter, placing a large pizza box in front of them.

"Thanks," Veronica smiled, extending her blanketed arm to enfold her mother in the comfortable quilt.

"Are we okay?" Lianne asked before they dug into their dinner.

"Always."

Over the next few days, Lianne and Veronica, the newly renamed Claire and Sarah Dean, busied themselves establishing their new lives. They'd had their furniture shipped over, transported the rest. They still didn't have all that much, but their previous identities had left some belongings they'd taken with them – they couldn't afford starting with nothing every time.

Veronica was surprised they could afford the house until she discovered her mother had been saving up that money all along – she'd known it would get to this. She didn't let that linger, not looking for another rift with her mother. So mother and daughter worked for days, painting, fixing, placing, arranging the new home. In this time, Lianne began her search for a job, as well as a search for a school for Veronica.

With all this relocating, it was a new thing for "Sarah" to worry about. But after meeting a guidance counselor at her soon-to-be-school, she was relieved to hear she'd be able to do Junior year as she was meant to. She had some make up readings and assignments over her last weekend before classes, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

Her first day came, and she felt oddly confident. This was her new life starting, and she'd head into it with control. "Look out!" The warning came too late and she soon found herself on the ground. Well, so much for control. She looked up to see that she'd collided with a girl carrying a stack of what looked like newspapers. "Woah, good thing they were still tied up… Are you okay?" the girl asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Veronica blinked. The bumper seemed to realize she was just standing there over her, so she balanced the stack on one arm and offered her other hand.

"Here…" Veronica took her hand and let her pull. Back on her feet, she breathed. She rubbed at her back, looking around. Thankfully no one was staring. The girl balanced her papers back on both arms as Veronica thanked her. "You're welcome. Considering it's my fault you were down there…" Something dawned on her then. "Hey, you're new here, right?"

"Yeah," Veronica nodded, "Sarah."

"Margot," she identified herself.

"You really like the news?" Veronica indicated the stack. She looked to it and smiled.

"I work at the school paper, I had to pick them up… Hey, you should join. I mean, if you'd like…"

"Maybe…" she shrugged.

"Well come on, I'll show you." Veronica followed, something she'd eventually find herself doing many times. Margot had this way about her that couldn't be ignored. They walked into "Central", as she'd come to call it, and she looked about with some awe. "You okay?" Margot asked with a smirk.

"Definitely," she nodded to her.

"Aren't you glad you met me then," she laughed.

"Glad – and a little sore."

"Yeah, I'll get you some ice for that."

"Thanks." She left to do just that once she'd introduced Veronica to the teacher in charge of the paper, Mr. Seo.

"Have you ever worked at the newspaper before?"

"Not really… we moved a lot, and I didn't want to get too involved knowing I'd have to leave at some point. But we're settled for good now so I'm not going anywhere."

"Good to hear," the man nodded. "Well let's see, we have a few spots open…" he explained, looking over a list before handing it to her. She read through it, all of it sounding like it had potential. The one that got her attention the most was at the very bottom – photographer. It had been something of a hobby that had then turned into a lot more for her. Her parents had gotten her an amazing camera for Christmas last year… It was likely gathering dust in her room back…

"Uh, I-I can do school activity reports," she blinked, putting the list back down to bring her shaking hands back to her lap and out of sight.

"Great, let's get you set up then," Mr. Seo smiled. Veronica smiled back, putting an hopefully relaxed front.

The rest of the morning went off without any more incidents. Margot shared some of her classes, something Veronica was very thankful for. At lunch, they found a table and sat together. "So how long have you been in town for?"

"Uh, about a week and a half. I've been home for the most part though, fixing up the place with my mother…"

"Fun," Margot nodded. "My mother and I don't really do a lot together. Must be nice to be close like that."

"Well, we had some harder times before. We haven't been close the way we are now… for months…"

"What about your dad?" Veronica tensed up there.

"Can we not… talk about home…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I…"

"N-no, it's okay, I just…"

"No problem, don't worry about it," Margot nodded. Veronica smiled and ate a fork-full of salad. "Okay, so this weekend, I'll introduce you to the wonders of Philly," she continued to nod.

"Works for me," Veronica laughed.

Over the following days and weeks, "Sarah" and Margot became closer friends. Veronica wasn't looking to draw too much attention to herself, so sticking to one person to get into friendship terms with was preferable at the moment. And Margot wasn't very "up with people", preferring to find one true friend. She had excellent instincts about people, or so her Nana said.

For Veronica, it was her first good friendship since Avery and the others. It was the most important step, along with school and the newspaper, to transition into what had to be her life from now on. It was the closest thing she'd had to a normal life in a long time. That didn't make putting Neptune in the past any easier. She continued to be plagued with nightmares, her father angry with her for abandoning him. They weren't going away, no matter how hard she tried, and she feared they never would. The worst were those when her father was joined by Lilly, claiming she'd forgotten about her.

The true problem was the isolation. No one knew of her past except her mother, no one could… Because of this, all her fears and worries could only bubble in her head, she couldn't release them. She needed an outlet. She started doing volunteer work, taught small children to swim – so parents wouldn't risk losing them there like hers almost had. In both cases, there seemed to be some subtle tie to home, but somehow it worked to diminish her nightmares if not end them completely.

There would always be reminders, she came to understand that, accept it. What she got from this was the ability to deal with them accordingly. It was okay, more than okay, for her to miss her father. Nothing would ever change that. She just had to go on.

_DECEMBER 24TH_

""Margot, what… what are you doing here? I thought you were in Pittsburgh," Veronica spoke as she opened the door to find her friend there.

"We were. But then Mom and Nana got into an argument… again. So we came back early. I'm pretty pissed off at my mother now, so I thought I'd visit someone who didn't make me crazy."

"Come on in," Veronica smiled. They went into the living room and Margot paused.

"Where's your Christmas tree?" Veronica thought quickly.

"We didn't have time to get one. And we lost our decorations in the move, so…"

"Oh! Well, we have tons left over, I could lend you some and we could get you a tree… I'm a bit of a Christmas Nut," she blushed.

"Uh… sure. Okay." She didn't know what else to say. She couldn't tell Margot the real reason there was no lovingly decorated Christmas tree in her home. Christmas was the prime holiday in the Mars home, and all of this was just too much for even this brave girl. Now she had her first confrontation with Christmas overload coming as she and Margot headed to the tree lot. Over the drive, she could only sit and try to focus.

As they got to the lot and Veronica followed and listened to Margot's continuing talk about the signs of a proper tree, her mind was fighting an inner battle. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't a problem; that she might be able to get through Christmas after all. But the longer they were perusing the many tall green and magnificent trees, Veronica was getting more and more queasy. Margot was oblivious as she went on with her explanation on why shorter was better.

The blow, that's what it felt like at least, was seeing a semi-bare little tree. It reminded her of one Christmas, when she was eight. She'd seen a tree like this and she'd begged her father to get that one, saying if they didn't take it then no one would and it would be all alone for Christmas. Keith Mars had taken his daughter's hand, they'd walked to the lot owner and told him they wanted that tree. It had been hard to decorate, too frail to support heavier decorations, but she'd loved it anyhow.

And now, when she saw this little tree, her feet stopped moving and she was taken with a dizzy spell. Margot finally noticed her friend's distress and went to her aid. "Sarah? What's wrong? Are you okay?" she put a hand on her arm. That seemed to get her out of her daze.

"I-I need to get out of here."

"Sure, come on."

They went to a nearby restaurant and Margot ordered two coffees. They were quiet for a moment, Margot confused and Veronica slightly ashamed that she'd lost it like that. "We didn't not have time to get a tree," Veronica finally spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm getting that," Margot nodded. "I know you don't like talking about it, but…"

"It's complicated," Veronica spoke slowly. "I…" she started, knowing she wanted to confide in Margot but would have to choose her words carefully. "I haven't seen my father in… almost a year."

"Did they divorce?"

"Not exactly."

"A fellow Christmas Nut?" That made Veronica smile a bit.

"Sort of."

"Why didn't you just say no when I dragged you off to the tree lot?"

"I don't know," Veronica shrugged.

"Alright, well let's make the next couple of days all about non-Christmas. We'll watch some very action-ish movies or something…" Veronica laughed.

"Sounds good."

"Any other panic buttons I should keep a lookout for? Candy canes? Rudolph?"

"Heat Miser," Veronica confirmed.

"Right, check," Margot nodded.

"Thanks," she breathed happily.

The next days, over Christmas and the rest of the winter break, Margot continued to be there for her friend, providing her with needed distractions from the dreaded holiday. There was an awkward moment when, while Margot went to put an Aaron Echolls movie's DVD in, Veronica almost told her of her having visited the set. It was in the time where Logan was still her friend, and she had been invited there along with Duncan and Lilly.

In January, back in school now, the journalism class was given an assignment. Mr. Seo asked the students to collect articles over a particular subject, spanning a certain amount of time, tracking progress and development.

In the past week, she'd been doing well with "embracing Sarah." She was ready, she felt, to look ahead and settle more into this persona.

Then came the day to present the research projects to Mr. Seo. Veronica and Margot were part of the first few to go, so they could spend the rest of the class sitting back and listening to the others. Martin Keller was one of the last to pass. As usual, Mr. Seo asked about his topic. Veronica was a bit distracted, the class growing restless as time progressed. She was jerked back to attention as Martin announced his topic was Abel Koontz.

Even if she'd wanted to move, leave the room, anything, she couldn't have. She was frozen in place in disbelief. She wasn't sure what her face looked like, but whatever it was, it had made Margot pay attention to Martin's report as well.

He explained that he'd chosen the topic after coming across one article in those he'd kept over the years. He liked to keep clippings, about differing topics, they all knew this. Then he started talking about Koontz. He told about how he'd worked at Kane Software, had been fired… There was use of the word 'disgruntled' in force of course, like that changed anything. He went on about the tip call, the evidence found on his boat, the confession… It all sounded very clean cut, painted a picture of the whole story that made Koontz out to be the single and evident suspect.

As it progressed, Veronica felt more and more like she was about to explode at Martin, give him a piece of her perspective, whatever it was. She came very close to that as there was mention of "the sheriff who hung on to unfounded beliefs of the father's culpability." Her knuckles were sheet white, hands squeezed to near paralysis. It was the next part of Martin's presentation that drowned out any thoughts in her mind except those that made her Veronica Mars and her father's daughter.

In this next part he addressed the possibility of Koontz' innocence. What got the rest of the world to drop aside was one notion – the case was known across the country and probably further. Koontz would have had the best of the best offering their services to him, he could have gotten them. But he didn't – he chose "some small, unknown public defender."

"Why would he do that?"

That question resonated in her mind for weeks to come. The others could have gotten him off, but he let it all lead to a death sentence.

The class ended soon after and it took Veronica a minute before she could move. "Want to come over for dinner?" Margot asked.

"I-I can't, sorry," Veronica blinked. "My mother and I have a, uh…"

"Alright," Margot nodded.

"See you tomorrow," Veronica nodded back.

When she got home, her mother wasn't home from work, so she had the whole silent house to herself. It was a good thing to have at the moment. She went to lie on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind struggled to find steady footing. On the one hand there was the threat on her life, all she and her mother had been through. If they continued like this, she'd most likely be safe.

But then there was the other hand – her father, her home, her identity, and now there was Abel Koontz. She'd tried to keep that out of her head for some time, but now she needed it back. Her father believed the Kanes had something to do with it, then that Koontz hadn't killed Lilly. If all this was true, then her best friend's killer was still at large, out in the world… living when Lilly wasn't. If it was true… then it wasn't right, it couldn't be left like this.

Back in the days of Neptune, she'd trusted her father's instincts. It had left consequences for her to deal with, but she'd gone on because she had to believe in him. Then the running had started, and all of it had been put aside, it and her life too.

"Hey honey…" Veronica looked up, finding that with all this thinking she hadn't heard her mother arrive. "Is everything alright?" She hesitated. Should she tell her?

"I'm… fine, Mom," she smiled.

"Alright. I'll get started on dinner," she nodded before leaving her room.

Veronica lied back down. Nina Healy, Eve Walker, Laura Winters, Sarah Dean… she had to put them aside, let Veronica Mars do the talking for a minute.

PAST – KANE RESIDENCE

"Wait, don't move," Veronica laughed.

"I'm not!" Lilly assured her.

"You are too! Stop talking," she instructed. A minute later, Veronica stood back. Lilly looked in the mirror and grinned.

"Good work Mars," she nodded.

"Thanks."

"Alright, my turn!" Lilly stood and made her friend sit in her place. "When my mom puts on makeup it takes forever, she does it… very careful," she demonstrated and Veronica giggled. Lilly made her up in a few minutes and they looked in the mirror, side by side. "Alright, we've got hair, clothes, makeup… Duncan, get in here!" Lilly called out.

"I don't have it yet!" he called back.

"Oh come on!"

"Alright, give me a minute!" Soon, he finally joined them, hauling the camera he'd been looking for. "Can't someone else do this?"

"When you have a friend, sure," Lilly nodded. Duncan stuck his tongue out at her. "Right, here we go! Get clicking!"

The girls started posing together as Duncan worked the camera. They were laughing as picture after picture was taken. "There's no more," Duncan finally announced before they heard their mother calling.

"Kids, it's almost dinner, wash up! Veronica, your father is coming to pick you up!" The girls rolled their eyes.

"She called, didn't she?" Veronica guessed as they started changing back.

"Wouldn't surprise me. Hey, do you notice how her voice changes, just for a second, when she talks about your parents?"

"I don't know," Veronica shrugged. "I just wish she'd stop…"

"Hey, it's her problem. You Veronica Mars are my best friend. You are going to be my best friend forever. Doesn't matter what happens, what my mother says or does… What's important is what we think."

"Best friends," Veronica beamed.

"Yup," Lilly nodded with a grin. The girls laughed and hugged for a moment before continuing to take off the makeup and changing back.

_PRESENT_

Veronica reached into her closet, all in the back, finding the dusty shoebox. She wiped at it with her sleeve before going back to sit on her bed. She pulled the lid off. Her heart leapt, confronted with the bits and pieces of her past she'd ignored for two months.

She found the items that had been in her wallet. There were ID cards, pictures of her parents, one of her and Lilly a few weeks before she died – and one of the pictures from their "fashion shoot". She laughed lightly, looking at the image of the two silly young girls, happy, standing back to back and hand in hand. She shuddered, wiping at the few tears running down her cheeks.

She lied back on the bed, still staring at the picture. So what was she supposed to do? The more time she had to think on it, the more she believed that her father had been more on track than what she'd believed, that Lilly's killer was getting off and getting away with this crime while innocent Abel sat in jail waiting to be killed. Could she really do anything about it?

She was still held back by the issue of her mother and her insistence that Neptune was dangerous for her. They weren't going back as far as "Claire Dean" was concerned.

Veronica reached for the box again, finding the sheets on which she'd figured out the address to her father's secret page, the printouts of his letters, of articles about Neptune she'd read over the months, then the disc from the memorial, and Cliff's list. She unfolded it, looking at the numbers for bus companies, trains… Cliff's note…

"_Working with your father I've come to know of some people whose services might be helpful to you if need be. I count myself as one of those, I hope you already know."_

Veronica sat up, running a hand through her lengthening and lightening hair. She looked at the cordless phone lying on her desk, eyed it.

_So what are you gonna do, Mars?_

TBC


	7. Clash of the Regretful

Note: Check it out, only one timeline:D In memory of a certain cheerleader ;)

Disclaimer: This chapter is based on a particular episode, I'll let you figure out which one ;) Some of the dialogue is either inspired or transcribed from the episode, and some of the structure is the same too… I won't use the show's universe like this too much, but the episode and where it was timed served the purpose I needed, so…

CHAPTER 7: CLASH OF THE REGRETFUL

_NEPTUNE, CALIFORNIA_

Sheriff Lamb stepped out of his car, pushing the shades up the bridge of his nose as he started toward the high school. It had been over a year since he'd become Sheriff of Neptune, and he still got that… buzz. The power of his position was something he was well aware of and willing to demonstrate strongly whenever necessary. He walked through the halls of Neptune High with his head high and determination in his steps. The students stood at attention seeing him there, and he liked that – a lot.

"Mr. Clemmons," he nodded in greeting to the vice-principal as he walked into his office. Both men were already aware of the situation. Two students out for a night in the various bars in town – one was now in a coma. The other, Rick, had been luckier. He'd also been stupid enough to drop his friend Tim in front of the hospital and then take off.

Today, Rick was in school. At the moment, he had been called to Clemmons' office and would be joining them shortly. Lamb stepped in soon enough to grill the kid, get him to break. Soon the guilt trip produced the information that the boys had bought fake Ids. This was no surprise to the young Sheriff, who'd seen these popping up in large numbers recently. After telling Rick that he had no way around revealing the source of the fabricated card, Lamb stood back and awaited his response.

"Meg Manning."

In the locker room, Meg had just finished changing into her gym clothes. She looked around, hearing snickering. It wasn't directed at her but rather at one of the other girls, as she was changing. There was nothing wrong with the girl – except maybe her zip code and her parents' income. In this school, that was reason enough for those on the end of the spectrum to mock and ridicule those unfortunate "have nots". Meg sighed, tying her long blonde hair up into a ponytail.

Just as she'd pulled to tighten the hold, the gym teacher poked her head in. "Ms. Manning? Come with me please?" Meg looked to the teacher, then around. Madison Sinclair, standing nearby, seemed to be amused by this.

"Save you a seat," Madison told her as Meg closed her locker and followed Ms. Ferguson. She was told Vice-Principal Clemmons wanted to see her at her locker. Still confused, Meg did as told.

When she turned the corner and saw Sheriff Lamb with him, she stopped and blinked. Clemmons saw her and motioned to her. "Meg, come here please?" She walked up slowly.

"What's going on?"

"Open your locker please?" asked the Sheriff. She looked to him before approaching and reaching for the dial. Why did they need to look there? She worked the combination, feeling her throat get drier by the second. She got the last number and pulled at the handle, opening the door. Before her stunned eyes came tumbling a shower of what looked like blank driver's licenses. "That's what's going on, Ms. Manning," Lamb spoke as he crouched to look the cards over.

"They're not… I don't… That's not mine," she insisted firmly despite feeling the pounding in her chest.

"Where's your purse?" Lamb asked.

"I-it's in my gym locker. Mr. Clemmons, I swear…" she turned to him. He nodded to the Sheriff, who pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "This is ridiculous," Meg laughed nervously.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be," Clemmons told her as the bell rang.

"Please…"

"I'm giving you a three-day suspension. I have to say I'm surprised. I never thought you were the type."

"I'm not!" she pleaded as Lamb pulled her toward the exit, under the watchful eyes of her classmates. She did everything not to cry. This was plenty of embarrassment already.

Once they'd gotten to the station and left her in the interrogation room though, it was a whole other story. She wept quietly in her gym shirt. The whole thing was surreal. All these cards she'd never seen, in her locker… Clemmons not believing her, suspending her… After the whole purity test debacle, her reputation had taken a blow, but things had been getting better recently. This thing was even more of a nightmare.

"Meg Manning?" a man's voice brought her back. She looked over her shoulder.

"Yes?" she spoke, sniffling.

"Been having a bad morning, haven't you?" he asked as he came to sit across from her, depositing a paper cup of water before her. She picked it up.

"Who are you?" she asked before taking a sip.

"Cliff McCormack. The school called your parents, they hired me to represent you." At the mention of her parents, she put the cup down.

"Are they here?"

"Out in the hall." She looked down.

"Are they… mad? I didn't do anything!"

"They're worried, but I don't think they believe you're guilty either. If it weren't for the sudden… increase of sales, this would be easier. You can go home, but I'm afraid this isn't over. Now I don't want you to worry. I'm going to make sure this gets straightened out."

"Thank you," she smiled.

A few minutes later, Cliff was walking out with Meg and her parents. They shook hands and the Mannings headed off. As Cliff started for his car, he spotted a man leaning against it. The man's expression was as forced as it had been for months. He'd come to know this expression, understand it. Cliff also knew he'd had the opportunity to make it go away and he'd let it slip away.

"Keith. What can I do for you?" Cliff asked, noticing now a slight distraction and deviation of the usual look.

"Who's that?" he nodded to the departing blonde.

"New client, high school cheerleader, accuse of running a fake ID…"

"Innocent?" Keith cut in. Cliff sighed.

"Might be getting ahead of myself, but yet."

"Anything I can do to help?" he asked.

Since he'd run into Veronica in Tennessee, and especially since she'd last contacted him, Cliff had felt responsible for Keith Mars. So when he asked to help, he usually said… "Sure. I'll call you later with details."

"Okay," Keith nodded and walked off.

In a few weeks it would be one year since the morning he'd seen his Veronica. Each day that passed, each day he didn't get to have her there with him, his desperation increased. There had been many a morning when he'd wake up and hope and pray it was all just a horrible nightmare. He'd get up and go look in her room… but she wouldn't be there. The room would look just as it had the day she disappeared.

He'd go in and dust every once in a while, seeing the time as a moment to "connect" with who she was. He knew all the items and their places. One day he'd dared and looked in less open places, maybe hoping to find new things. It was all he could do at that point. He'd found fake IDs for Veronica and for Lilly Kane… That should have made him angry or something, instead it made him laugh. These days it was an odd occurrence. He'd placed the cards back where he'd found them.

He knew that people in Neptune were on separate footings when it came to their opinion of him. There were still those who got on him about the handling of the Kane case. Then others felt sorry for him, what he'd lost. And still there were others who just stayed away, figuring it'd be easier this way. None of it mattered to Keith though. He just tried to go on with his life the best he could.

So later that day, he went to visit the Manning girl. Her mother let him in, showed him to her room. He knocked on the door. "Just a minute," came her response. Shortly after, when she opened the door, he saw that the 'minute' had likely been to fix things up. She was visibly upset by the whole thing, as well she should have been. "Mr. Mars?" she recognized the former Sheriff. "What… are you…"

"I'm working with Mr. McCormack, to find out who's responsible for this. Do you mind if I ask you a couple questions?"

"It's fine," she nodded. They went into the room, Keith sitting on her desk chair as Meg sat on the corner of her bed, bringing her leg under by habit. She explained the morning's events, the teacher sending her to meet Clemmons at her locker, finding him and Lamb there, opening it and seeing the cards, being taken to the station in cuffs…

"Did you find out anything else? How did they know about your locker?"

She paused to think, then with a sniffle, "Rick." Keith sat up.

"Rick who?"

_NEPTUNE HIGH LIBRARY_

"Hey Rick, can we talk?" Keith brought a chair by the teen's table and sat. He looked on edge right away.

"I-I, uh…"

"Listen, I won't take up too much of your time, I just have a couple of questions to ask you. How'd you know about those cards in Meg's locker? You know Meg Manning? Cheerleader, innocent as in not guilty?" Rick was fidgeting, thinking, something that didn't fall unnoticed by Keith Mars.

"They told me… they said to blame her."

"Who did?"

"I can't… they're all over the place, I can't…" he looked around, standing.

"Sit down," Keith pulled him back on his chair.

"Please…"

"Fine, we can meet somewhere else. But we _will_ talk."

"O-okay."

"I'll call you to set it up later. You better show up."

"Fine," Rick spoke, not moving his head.

"Alright then," he nodded, leaving the library.

Walking down the hall, he spotted Eli Navarro. You didn't work Neptune law enforcement not knowing Weevil.

"Hello Eli," Keith approached. He saw him and shook his head.

"Whatever you think I did, I didn't do it… probably."

"Relax, it's nothing like that. I just figured if someone would be aware…"

"Thinking wrong if you're looking for a narc."

"You know Meg Manning?" Keith went on anyway. Weevil thought for a moment.

"Vaguely."

"Someone's trying to frame her on running a fake ID ring." Weevil chuckled. "My point exactly. From what I've heard, they've been quite the seller lately."

"Yeah," Weevil confirmed with a bit of resistance.

"All I'm trying to find out is who's actually guilty so the girl doesn't end up in jail."

After a moment, Weevil turned and walked off, parting with "I'll think about it and get back to you."

"Good man Eli," Keith called after him with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah."

He was on his way to meet with Ms. James. She was doing research or something of the sort, something on the effects of grief. Too bad it was aimed on teenagers or he would have just left a perfect specimen for her back there.

He'd had some run-ins with the former Sheriff in the time since his daughter's abduction. The man was broken and, yes, grieving. True, they didn't know what had become of Veronica Mars, if she was okay or not, and it was always about keeping hope. But the father was fearing the worst deep down somewhere, and that forced him into a position where he threw himself in his work. It didn't take degrees and a long couch to figure that one out. In return, some would find themselves helping him, like Weevil was thinking on doing himself, just for that reason.

As he arrived to the guidance counselor's office, he wondered briefly if he should just bail out. Talking to her about Lilly wasn't something he was sure he wanted to do. But he was there now and she'd asked him to take a seat, so there wasn't a lot to do anymore. He sat quietly and the 'interview' started. The whole thing started to get to him, crawl under his skin, almost from the moment she started talking. He dosed in the anger and frustration to try and steady things back under his control, but it didn't go too well. One offense that struck point blank was her reading a letter from him to Lilly. The damage was done as he told Miss James about him and Lilly, the way he felt for her… it actually got some tears to well up in his eyes, which he rubbed at as the woman continued.

"Alright, okay," she spoke calmly, looking at her notes. "Tell me… how well did you know Veronica Mars. She and Lilly were friends…"

"I didn't exactly have ins with the 09ers," he cut in.

"Except Lilly."

"Yeah, except Lilly."

"What happened with both these girls is… traumatic, on different levels."

"I didn't know her," Weevil answered. He'd had much the same response to her as a lot of people did after the murder and the investigation. Then when she'd disappeared, he was left unsure of what to think, like many others had.

"Okay. Thank you for coming," Miss James nodded.

"Better not use my name," Weevil stood, to which she nodded again.

_THAT NIGHT, STREET OUTSIDE MARS INVESTIGATIONS_

Rick drove up the street and parked as instructed. He didn't know what to do next as those were Mr. Mars' only instructions. Then his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Get out of your car and walk into the alley to your right."

"Mr. Mars? What…"

"You wanted covert, well here it is. The alley, go." Rick hung up and did as told. A moment later, he turned and the P.I. was there. "Evening." He was walked behind the buildings and up a staircase leading to Keith's offices. "Have a seat. You thirsty?"

"I-I'm good."

"Good," Keith nodded as he sat across from Rick. "So, talk."

"Okay…" the student blinked, squirming in his chair a bit. "It's this secret group at school, the Tritons."

"Neptune, Tritons, nice following thoughts. Go on," Keith took a bit of pleasure in the kid's discomfort.

"They've been in the school… since there was the school…" Rick went on explaining who the Tritons were, how he and his comatose friend had been out drinking, as part of a hazing ritual… Keith was on the verge of rolling his eyes or shaking his head during most of Rick's explanations.

"So let me get this straight. You were willing to let Tim die because these guys, these… high school kids, were going to destroy your life…"

"They're powerful."

"If you say so," Keith held his hands up in fake fear. "Now who are they – your fellow pledges?" Rick stayed quiet. "Hey," Keith tapped on the desk louder. Rick jumped.

"Uh… Harry, Harry Diddon, Matt Barron, Steve Argo, and Duncan Kane." Keith sat back, running a hand over his eyes with a sigh.

_THE NEXT MORNING_

"Going in through the Kane kid? How are you going to get to him, his parents won't let you," Cliff pointed out as he sat across from Keith. The man shrugged, digging himself back into his chair.

"Call him?"

"You and him buddies now?" Cliff smirked. Both men became quiet, one remembering and the other realizing how Keith had been able to have Duncan Kane within reach. The silence persisted for a minute or so before the sound of the door opening broke them out of the moment. Keith looked up.

"Now when I called and asked if you'd drop by, I didn't mean skipping school."

"I wasn't busy," Weevil told him, though he was more focused on the lawyer. "Good morning sir" he put on a look of 'respect', though there was a hint of mockery in there and it didn't fall unnoticed.

"Well this should be promising," Cliff stood.

"Let's just remember we're here to deal with other people's problems, not our own. Okay?" Keith stepped in. Putting grudges on hold, Keith and Cliff sat back where they'd been and Weevil came to stand by the desk. His continuing uncertainty about being there was still evident. "Will you be helping or not?" Keith asked Weevil. He wavered on his feet for a moment, over-pondering.

"I'm getting the feeling you're not giving me much of a choice."

"Well, now, I would never force you into doing anything against your will," Keith feigned hurt.

"Yeah, let's just try to keep Blondie out of juvie. What do I have to do?"

"See how it can be with some cooperation?" Keith nodded, reaching for the file.

_NEPTUNE HIGH, VICE-PRINCIPAL CLEMMONS' OFFICE_

Logan Echolls sat with no attempt to hide any annoyance he may have had over being there. Clemmons wasn't going to entertain this, looking over files as they waited for…

"Sir, Aaron Echolls is here to see you," the secretary's voice came through the intercom.

"Send him in please?" Clemmons nodded. He stood to greet him, as Logan turned his head.

"Hello Father," he spoke flatly.

"Logan, would you mind stepping outside while your father and I have a talk?"

"Sure, knock yourselves out," Logan walked past his father without a glance over and plopped down on the bench.

In his life, with all the luxury and privilege that came with being the son of a movie star, there were some things which just seemed to pass through his mind time and again without once registering. If something could reach him, open his eyes, it might change. But after everything that had happened with Lilly's death, he never thought one of those "epiphany enducers" would be Veronica Mars.

"Logan, let's go," his father came to get him a few minutes later. Another brief argument later, they were driving home.

When Veronica had disappeared, he'd been of those who would go on suggesting scenario after crazy scenario of why she'd disappeared, each residing in a strong belief that it had been her own doing. Though this stopped happening after a few months, Logan understood despite himself why it had needed to happen.

He needed to believe it was not his fault.

They drove past the gates at home, and as soon as the car had stopped, Logan was out and heading up to his room. He sat at his desk for a moment before the usual twinge in his stomach had him reaching for the object wedged under there – Veronica's book.

He wasn't sure why he'd kept it all this time. He'd brought it with him after class perhaps to use it against her again, but why hadn't he gotten rid of it since? Was he sorry? No, of course not… probably not. He'd used it to make the girl hurt, and not long after she'd been taken, whisked away to no one knew where.

And after she was gone, there was this bound stack of sheets practically taunting him. He kept needing to look at them, read the words he'd scribbled with the pride of knowing how she'd feel. He was angry, many of them had been.

After months of sneaking looks at the scribbles, they started getting to him. One phrase – _"What are you still doing here?"_ – hit the hardest. Lilly was dead, his father was even harder to stand, his mother was still with him but after recent events was too preoccupied, Duncan hadn't been around as much either…

Logan started to feel like he didn't have anyone there anymore that made him feel even a little bit alive. The days went on with barely any moments to snap him out of that feeling anymore. Of course no one could know. It would be a cold day in July before he gave anyone a 'peek' into the present state of his mind.

He stared at the little book a moment more, then placed it back in its hiding space. He changed out of his clothes, deciding to go for a swim.

_THAT AFTERNOON, MARS INVESTIGATIONS_

"Did you find anything?" Meg asked as Mr. Mars handed her the can of soda she'd accepted. He waited until she'd popped it open before speaking.

"Nothing definitive yet, but we have a few leads," he explained. "We'll figure it out, I guarantee it."

"Thank you," she spoke honestly.

"It's no problem," he gave her a smile.

"I just keep thinking I'm going to wake up and it'll all be some crazy nightmare…"

'I know the feeling,' Keith thought to himself as Cliff walked in.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"No, it's alright, we were just talking," Keith explained.

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of new problems, but here we are," Cliff sighed as he sat in the chair next to Meg.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Tim, the coma kid? His parents are suing."

"What?" Meg gasped.

"Who?" Keith asked.

"You and your parents," he told Meg, then continuing toward Keith, "And anyone involved in what became of their son. All the bars included, this case is massive…" Meg sank into her chair, putting the soda can on the desk so she wouldn't spill it. Keith was staying calm, though his mind was working in overdrive.

"I think it's time I made a phone call," he picked up the receiver and dialed. A few rings were heard before the call was taken.

"Hello?" came a hushed voice.

"Duncan, it's Keith Mars. Can we talk?" There was a pause and he heard Duncan tell his father he'd be right back.

"Mr. Mars…" he came back on the line, and Keith cut in.

"I need to see you as soon as possible. It's very important."

"R-right, okay. I'm on my way."

"Great, I'll be waiting." Keith nodded to himself before hanging up and looking up to Meg and Cliff. "Voila!"

_A FEW MINUTES LATER, DUNCAN'S CAR_

The last couple of years had not been what Duncan would have imagined them to be. He wouldn't have imagined in a million years that within a few short months his sister would be lost to a murderer, his girlfriend then ex-girlfriend would be lost to a kidnapping mother, and his best friend would be lost to… well, this one was more complicated.

After the events shortly before and after Veronica's disappearance, Duncan and Logan had grown apart. Logan was confused and solitary, and Duncan was just plain confused. He knew what his mother had told him -–Veronica was his half-sister. But with time passing, what he saw of his parents in that time, he was beginning to wonder…

Something about this whole thing was beginning to feel not right. He didn't have all the facts, and the ones he did have were not necessarily the most reliable.

It could have been that his life would have reached desolation like Logan's had. He might have taken a look at his life and found it too hard to bear. He might have let it all collapse if it wasn't for what Keith Mars had told him. It was hard to believe if you took into account how the detective had been doing, but it was nonetheless true.

After Veronica had sent him that text message – _Calder Motel. Okay. Help._ – and after he'd given that message to her father, he'd stayed at the Mars home instead of going home like he'd been told to. He knew the way his mother felt about Veronica. He knew that if she saw him now she'd try to feed him excuses and try to make him forget about it. He didn't want that. He wanted to know, needed to know, that things would be okay.

But Mr. Mars returned alone. They'd been too late. Over the following days, media coverage was established. Duncan was one of those who helped coordinate things. Then suddenly it stopped. No more reports were aired, no articles were published. He went to Keith to ask him why that was.

His response was sketchy at best. Duncan almost lost it there. Keith sat him down and told him he had to take a step back. He had to forget about Veronica in a sense, trust that she wasn't in harm's way. Keith would take care to try and find his daughter, but Duncan had to move on. The concept seemed impossible, unacceptable.

But then months began to pass, and he found that in a way, he was able to have a clearer mind, and by that he got to help others around him. His mind still wasn't the clearest to begin with, there were parts of himself he couldn't change just like that. At least he was able to give things a shot again.

He pulled up to the building and went up into the office. When he arrived, he found three others there – Mr. Mars, a man he didn't know, and someone he did know – Meg. They shared a friendly smile and nod before he looked up to Keith.

"Hey… what's…" Duncan asked.

"I need to ask you a few questions," Keith indicated an empty chair. Duncan went to sit, giving a puzzled look.

"Who are you?" he asked the unknown man.

"Cliff McCormack. I'm representing Miss Manning." He made an 'oh' face, as Keith drew his attention back.

"I need you to tell me about the Tritons." His face didn't even register panic or confusion, he stayed in control.

"The what?"

"We know you're one of their new recruits, it's okay – we won't tell." Duncan still didn't budge. Cliff gave Keith a look as though to ask if he was sure this would work. In answer, he stood. "Look, Duncan, there's a lot more at stake here than protecting the secret and keeping it one." He went on to retell the whole situation, with Rick, Meg… As Duncan listened, he wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to help, but honor was still important to him. "Without… acknowledging whether you're part of this society or not, you could still… I don't know, keep an ear open? Can you do that?"

They were silent for a moment, but more was being said between he two in this silence than the others would realize. "I can try to check…"

"Great," Keith nodded. "So we're done for today I guess… Meg, are you okay to get home?"

"Well, uh…" she blinked.

"I can drive you back. If you want, I mean…" Duncan offered.

"Okay. Thank you," she smiled.

"I'll call you if we get anything new," Keith told Meg as she and Duncan left. Cliff stood in silence for a moment as Keith went to the mini-fridge.

"Care to fill me in?"

"Can't. It's a secret," Keith mimicked.

"Then tell me this: Is he going to help?" Keith nodded. "And you two are just old friends now?" Keith didn't respond, going to retrieve a file from his desk. "This week, you've been different. There's something about this case, isn't it? Why do you care so much?"

"An innocent girl needs help…"

"You didn't know that, or anything about her for that matter, when you started being curious about it." He looked to the contents of Meg's file on the desk, the picture… 'Oh…' he thought, a sneaking suspicion forming. He kept it quiet, knowing that getting Keith talking about it would make Cliff want to spill the beans on his contacts with Veronica, and he couldn't risk it.

Thankfully someone came along to save him from the conversation. "Hey Keith, I hope I'm not… sorry…" Aaron Echolls stopped as he saw Cliff.

"It's alright, I should go. Call me if there's any updates on that case," he nodded to Keith before taking his leave.

After wrapping things up with Aaron, Keith returned home. He walked in and already he could see a certain sad canine standing – lying – guard at Veronica's bedroom. "Backup, you haven't moved, have you?" Keith approached the dog, scratching him. "You're starting to get out of shape buddy. Why don't we go for a walk?" After some more prodding, Keith was out walking Backup. At least one distraction he could count on was caring for him. Veronica loved that dog, and if… when… she came back, he would still be here for her.

Cliff hadn't been wrong about his interest in the Manning case. There was something else pushing him into it, something in him that really wanted to help Meg. In a way he knew exactly why that was, he just didn't want to admit it to himself.

Meg Manning, a happy girl going about her life until it was messed with, shambled. When he'd first seen her from afar, across the station parking lot, with that long blonde hair, delicate features… She reminded him of his little girl, his own formerly-happy and now troubled girl. Maybe he thought if he could help her, he wouldn't feel like this… like he'd left Veronica out there on her own.

On the morning he got the note, he was on the phone with the television news. The water delivery man walked in and just stood there. When Keith finally put the phone on hold, the uniformed man handed him a napkin. Keith was confused, but then he saw the handwriting on top and almost dropped the phone.

"Where did you get this?" he stood.

"This girl slipped it in my jacket pocket," he shrugged.

"Describe her?"

"Short, blonde…" Keith looked at the napkin before unfolding it.

"_Dad, I'm sorry for what's happening. Mom had her reasons; don't blame her. In the end, I had to follow. Please forgive me for it, and for what I'm asking now. Pull the media out of this. They can't be involved. I love you, Dad, and I'll think about you every day. We'll be together again, promise. Hug Backup for me? Love, Veronica."_

And he'd done it. He didn't question it, he just called them all off. He gave them a reason, one he didn't even remember anymore. He had the note locked safely in his safe now. Maybe it was reassurance – proof that he'd done the right thing. Whenever he tried to look for her, he would think of the note and then he would be unable to follow through on the search.

After a few months he just stopped trying. It killed him inside though, so he threw himself in his work. He gave it everything he had… so maybe she'd forgive him.

_THE NEXT DAY, MISS JAMES' OFFICE_

Logan was working the 'façade' as Miss James started to question him. He didn't want to be there, but between this and calculus… She started him off talking about Lilly. It all led to her asking about why they were broken up when Lilly was killed.

Logan got quiet as that played out in his head, what he'd have to say in response to it. "Logan?" Miss James slowly prodded. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy," he faked.

"If you need time, it's fine…"

"How considerate of you," he sat back. He told her about the party, where he'd kissed Yolanda Hamilton for just an instant.

"And Lilly saw you two?" Miss James guessed.

"No, someone else…" he spoke slowly. "She… she was my friend," he sidestepped mentioning Veronica's name. "Lilly died and… I just keep thinking… I could have stopped it."

"How?"

"If we hadn't been broken up, I would have been there with her and Ii could have protected her…"

"You blame yourself? Or… this other person, the one who saw you?" Miss James asked. Logan chuckled.

"I should blame her, shouldn't I? Or… I could blame Lilly… Either way, we're all at fault." It was another level of his issues dealing with Veronica's disappearance. He wanted to feel angry at her for what she'd done, what her father had done… but he felt sort of responsible for what had happened to her too.

If he hadn't upset her the way he had, maybe she would have had the clarity to stop what was going to happen. Now all he wanted to do was see her, talk to her. He didn't want to apologize, probably. He wasn't really sure what he wanted to tell her, but there was something, somewhere in him, for him to tell Veronica.

"Logan…" Miss James brought him back around.

"Well this sure has been fun, but I have to go now. Good luck with your research," he spoke before leaving.

_LATER THAT DAY_

"Steve Argo?" Keith approached the teen, putting away the pictures in the pocket.

"Yeah?" he recognized the former Sheriff.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"About what?" Keith leaned forward and whispered.

"Tritons." Steve blinked. "Tried to talk to your other co-initiates, but they weren't in the mood or something," Keith shrugged.

"I have class," Steve spoke before walking off.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Keith told himself.

"Mr. Mars, to what do we owe this visit," Keith turned to find Vice-Principal Clemmons walking up.

"Sorry, client-detective confidentiality."

"Yes, well, this is still a school, so…"

"How've you been, Clemmons?" Keith cut in. "Everything nice and secure?"

When Veronica was taken from the school, Keith had to deal with circumstances, and with Clemmons. He couldn't stand the man, almost deciding he was to blame. It was easier that way.

He finally left Neptune High. He had come to try and talk to the other new Tritons named by Rick, on the off chance they might know something useful. He'd received basically the same response in all three cases.

Then that night, Rick called him. He told him in a panic that the Tritons were on to him, that retaliation was starting. Something about his tone was strange, but Keith couldn't put his finger on it. He had a feeling though that this would be over soon, in one way or another.

_THE NEXT DAY, MISS JAMES' OFFICE_

"Alright, I think we're about done here Duncan. Do you have anything else to say?" Miss James asked him.

"Not really."

"Well it was good to finally get to have the meeting," she stood to see him off.

"Sure, no problem."

After leaving the office, Duncan continued to think about what he'd said, what he hadn't said… They'd talked about Lilly, missing her… he'd told her about the missing time surrounding her death, something he didn't like to do. That time was still something that confused him so much…

She asked about Veronica, the effects of her disappearance on him. She'd been friends with both Lilly and him, she'd been his girlfriend… Duncan thought for a moment when Miss James asked how he felt about that whole situation.

"I sort of wonder… what would have happened if I'd been faster to delivery her message or something. Her father told me I should try to let it go a little bit, move on with my life. It's hard, but it sort of works."

As he walked down the hall, he found Meg standing at her locker. She was observing the door with great intent. He approached her slowly.

"Hey…" She looked over and smiled.

"Hey Duncan… How are you?" she stopped fussing with the door.

"I'm okay. Just had a meeting with Miss James."

"Oh. In need of some guidance?" she asked.

"No," he laughed, " She's just, uh, interviewing some of us for a research."

"Ah," she nodded, closing her locker. "Listen, I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" he blinked.

"Well, for helping me out, sort of…" she smiled. He smiled back and nodded.

"You're welcome." He spotted Logan walking by then. "I have to go but… I was wondering if you'd like to… hang out or something. This weekend?"

"Sure," her cheeks seemed to get a little rosier for a second.

"Okay," he nodded again before saying goodbye and running to catch up with Logan. "Logan, wait," he called to him. He stopped, not turning to meet Duncan's gaze.

"What is it?" Logan asked.

"We should talk. This is ridiculous, we're friends – right?"

"Sure," he shrugged.

"So – what – why are things like this?"

"It's easier?" Duncan wasn't sure what to say. "I'll see you around, okay? I'm gonna be late for a meeting," he continued to walk off toward Clemmons' office. He looked back for a second, to Duncan's retreating form. He missed hanging out with him, but this had been a conscious choice on his part in some twisted way. Not so long ago he had three friends he with great care. He'd lost two of those now, gone… It was possible he figured if he distanced himself from Duncan then he wouldn't run the risk of something happening to him too.

He arrived outside the administration's office, finding his mother there. "Your father's running late," Lynn Echolls told her son as they went to sit together and wait for him. Logan tried to ward off curious, whispering students with a glare until Aaron arrived.

_MARS INVESTIGATIONS, LATER THAT DAY_

"So far still no break… I know, but we're getting somewhere," Keith tried to reassure Meg over the phone. He heard the door and looked up. Weevil walked in, the look on his face more encouraging than it looked. "Hold that thought," he told Meg.

"Found your card guy," Weevil confirmed.

Shortly after, Keith stood in the Neptune High halls once again, with Vice-Principal Clemmons and Sheriff Lamb. They waited for the remaining parties to arrive. He'd informed Meg of the situation and invited her to return to school to witness the 'takedown'. She arrived with Duncan, having run into him on the way in.

"Is he coming?" she asked Keith, not quite looking at Clemmons and Lamb.

"He should be here soon," Keith nodded. A moment later, Rick joined them.

"What's going on?"

"Why don't you tell us? Either way you're stuck. If you don't tell them, I will…" Rick looked around.

"I… I wasn't invited to join."

"Yeah, I got that." Keith nodded.

"I still don't get what that has to do with it," Clemmons cut in.

"Rick, could you open your locker for us?" Keith instructed. He looked around, then with a sigh he crouched in front of his locker and got it open. "Why don't you make yourself useful and check the 'roof'?" he pointed inside the locker, looking to Lamb. He gave him a look, then did as asked. A second later, they heard something move and something fell through a hole in the divider. It was a card, which Clemmons and Lamb had watched Keith Mars push in before the others arrived. "Clear enough for you?" Keith asked the two men.

"Why'd you pin this on me?" Meg asked Rick, confused. Caught, Rick sighed.

"I needed a… distraction. I didn't want this getting out. And then you got him in this," he indicated Keith.

"Me?" he asked.

"You don't even know. My father's life and our family are ruined because of you." He recounted the details of the case and Keith remembered.

Lamb took Rick off, on to the station. Clemmons went to his office to inform Rick's parents.

"Thank you Mr. Mars, I can't say that enough," Meg shook his hand with a smile.

"You're welcome," he nodded and smiled back, trailing this to Duncan standing behind Meg. He returned the gesture as he left with Meg, leaving Keith to stand alone in the hall.

The sun was still streaming in, though it would start fading soon. That night when he'd be trying to fall asleep, he'd still be thinking about how the past few days hadn't helped the way he'd hoped they would. He still wouldn't feel okay about it all, not until his daughter was home again.

_THAT NIGHT, NEPTUNE BUS TERMINAL_

Traveling on a bus for a few hours shy of three days wasn't as tiring as she would have thought. Her legs would need some stretching, no doubt. Still it gave her a lot of time to think. There was nervousness, excitement, fear… The last stretch, as they entered California, she could feel it coming – home.

The bus stopped, and the passengers started exiting. Among the last few came the short former blonde, pulling the backpack holding all she'd deemed to be necessary. She took a deep breath and walked. Veronica Mars was home.

TBC


	8. Intermission: Veronica Mars

Note: Um… hello? ;)

CHAPTER 8: (INTER)MISSION: Veronica Mars 

If a place existed only in theory in someone's mind for long enough, it would only get shinier and heavenly as it got more time to sit there in its safe haven. Once you took down the walls and were faced with the reality though – all you'd have left would be reality.

That was kind of how Veronica felt now, being back in Neptune. She'd spent months wishing to have it back. Now that she had it, she started to see that it wouldn't all be flawless. Here she was – home. Home, where what you couldn't always be trusted. Home, where corruption had a stranglehold on certain parties. Deep down she supposed that didn't really matter. This was her world, where she should have been and where, despite all that had happened and would continue to happen, she belonged.

She knew it wouldn't be simple. She couldn't just march back into her life like nothing happened. She knew some things, was on the brink of knowing more, and she couldn't just ignore that. She knew now that Koontz was very likely innocent, which meant someone was trying to bury the truth. She knew that someone had run her mother out of town, that it had to do with the possibility of her father not being her father. And she knew there was one person she wouldn't be surprised would be involved in both of these actions – Celeste Kane.

She couldn't go to her house, not yet. She needed to look on some things, some people, before anyone found out she was back. In this town, it could be tricky. When she got off the bus, she went into the terminal's bathroom to sit and think for a moment. In there she didn't run the risk of someone seeing and recognizing her. For once she was glad her mother put her through that makeover – those who didn't know her wouldn't make the connection so easily, and those who did know her might not recognize her right away.

Sitting in the bathroom stall, she took a breath – not the most pleasant considering her location but necessary still – and started forming a plan. She couldn't do anything tonight. She was tired, and most people would be home for the night. She needed a place to stay, hide during the night. The building where her mother used to work was designated to be her hideout. Not the most comfy, but it would have to do.

She looked in her bag, her wallet – the bus fare had really dug a hole in her savings, but she still had a reasonable amount. So before going in for the night, she left the bus station and made her way to find a store to buy "supplies". On the walk over, she had to duck out of sight a few times, seeing former classmates out and about. None of them would be able to help her – none would want to.

She walked into the Sac-N-Pac, careful not to let her face be seen on security cameras or by people. It didn't take long for her to see that there weren't any customers there at the moment. The only other person was the kid at the register. He was hunched over a math book, looking to the side to write down what she imagined were answers for homework. He looked to be about her age, though she'd never seen him before. Maybe he was new. If that was the case, then it could be that he didn't know who she was.

Perhaps feeling the gaze, he looked up at her. "Do I have something on my face or… what?" he asked. She blinked, caught.

"Sorry, guess I got lost for a second," Veronica nodded slowly, turning to the aisles. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he responded a few seconds later, sounding surprised. She looked back to him and nodded. After making her way around the store, picking up food and water, Veronica made her way back to the counter. "Woah, you going on a camping trip?" he helped unload her arms.

"Something like that," she laughed lightly. She nodded to the book. "You go to Neptune High?" He nodded.

"You?"

"I… I used to but… not now."

"Lucky you."

"Yeah, it can get pretty crazy."

"No kidding. I can barely go a day without someone reminding me of my… noted entrance there," he shook his head.

"Why, what happened?" she asked as she handed him the money for her purchases. Before he could reply, the door opened and a couple walked in. She recognized them as having lived near her old home, before they had to move. If they saw her, they would no doubt connect the dots. She kept her face turned away. "I gotta go," she picked up her bags. "But it was nice to meet you," she read off his nametag, "Wallace."

He watched in confusion as she smiled and sneaked off. It was the best way he could describe her exit. He let that go, returning his attention to his book until the couple came over to pay. He really needed to focus on his studies, knowing that with the way things were going now college would be an issue – they couldn't pay. After his father died, Wallace didn't think it would be possible for more problems to get stacked on them. Then about a month before, they'd been forced to move again, to get away from a problematic tenant. They tried to fix things before it had to come to that, but in the end they didn't have a choice. So they had to start over again, something that took a toll on his whole family.

And if that wasn't enough, there was school. If he ever thought anything bad about his old school, he took it back. At least there they wouldn't have taped him to a flagpole, naked no less. Wallace had his pride, and he didn't let any fear or anger show on his face as people stood watching, pointing, laughing, taking pictures… Finally when the janitors came to cut him down he'd missed his first class. By the time he'd washed the misspelled "Snich" off his chest and gotten dressed up again, it was almost lunch.

Everyone remembered seeing him up on the pole, so the nightmare just continued. He wasn't planning on telling his mother but the vice-principal had called her by the time he got home. She was worried of course, but he told her not to be.

The time since then hadn't been much better. He pretty much kept to himself. They weren't very forthcoming, and he didn't really care at this point. He was fine on his own. Still… it could get lonely.

_ALONG THE STREETS_

Veronica walked through the streets of Neptune, on her way to her mother's old office, and the whole way there, she couldn't help thinking it felt good to be back but she still so far from where she needed to be – with her father. But she knew it had to be this way. She had to stick the separation out, just a few more days. Then when she returned to him, she'd have something more to give him, and hopefully make sure she didn't have to leave again.

She got to the building, looked around with a sigh. She found a way in, got herself a good spot to be comfortable yet out of sight in case she had to leave in a hurry. She put her bags down, sitting on the ground and finding her flashlight. Grabbing a bag of chips from the Sac-N-Pac bags, she dug in.

For the first time since the bus pulled out of the station in Philly, she allowed herself to stop and think about her departure from there. The part she worried about the most was her mother. She knew she was probably worried sick at the moment, that the letter she left, though she hoped it would give comfort, probably wouldn't help…

After staring at the phone for minutes that seemed like hours, she'd called the bus company. The bus would be leaving early the next morning. She didn't have much time to think it over. If she was really going to do this, she needed to get moving and quick. Knowing her mother was busy preparing dinner, Veronica took that time to pack her bag. She tried to leave things looking normal and put the bag in her closet before joining Lianne for dinner.

Maybe because she knew she was about to hurt her a lot, Veronica made the night a good one. They had a nice dinner, watched television… Her mother went to bed shortly before eleven. Veronica went back into her room, grabbed a notebook and a pen and went to sit by her window.

It took some time for her to find what she could tell her mother to make things be okay. There were no such words of course – they didn't make greeting cards for that one. Eventually, she put the pen to the paper.

"_Dear Mom, I wanted to start by saying I love you. I want you to know that, and to know that this is not because of you. I know we've been doing okay lately, but I can't ignore what I believe to be the right thing. By the time you read this I'll already be long gone. I need to figure some things out on my own. I promise I'll call you in a week or two and let you know more. Please understand that I need to do this, and that it's not payback. I realize that it doesn't help much, but I just have to do this. I love you, and I'll talk to you soon. Veronica."_

She didn't want her mother knowing she was going to Neptune or she might have followed. She couldn't have her there now.

Leaving the note on her bed, she'd finally taken her bag and crawled out her window. When she hit the ground, she came face to face with Margot. She would spend the night over every once in a while, when she'd have a fight with her mother. They were both silent for a moment, trying to understand what was happening.

"Sarah… where are you going?" Margot asked. Veronica looked up. She couldn't stay there, in case her mother woke up.

"Come on," she pulled on Margot's hand, taking her down to the street.

"What's going on?" the girl asked, confused by her actions.

"Do you have your car?" Margot nodded. "Let's go."

"Where?"

"I'll explain on the way." They got in the car and drove off.

"Sarah…"

"I have to tell you something…" she sighed.

"What?"

"Well… turn left here!"

"Okay?"

"That wasn't it, I-I haven't been completely honest with you, but only because I wasn't allowed to."

"What?" Margot managed to speak.

"I… My name's not Sarah, it's Veronica. I told you I haven't seen my father in almost a year. It's because my mother took me, by force…"

"You mother kidnapped you?" Margot spoke, louder as shock grew.

"No, not exactly. At first yes, but then I followed willingly. I was going to call and tell you everything once I got to where I'm going…"

"You're going… Sar… Veronica…"

"Please Margot, if my mother asks, you didn't see me tonight."

"I-I…" she sputtered. "What am I going to do, I… you're the only friend I've got."

"Not for long," Veronica tried to reassure her. "You've helped me a lot these past months. I know there are people out there who need someone that's just like you." Margot laughed through some tears.

"I hate being an emotional mess!" Veronica laughed with her. At the terminal, Margot stayed with her until she had to board her bus.

During the trip she tried to relax and sleep as much as she could – to dissipate the time difference, or to shut out her thoughts. She didn't want to be able to picture the look on her mother's face as she realized she was gone. She kept to herself mostly. Some fellow passengers would try to start talking to her, but she'd find a way out.

The familiar sights started rolling by, and then she was home, in Neptune. She had it basically figured out in her mind. She would look in on some people, keeping to the shadows, to see if anything important would be revealed to her. She'd try to get her hands on media she couldn't access remotely, but the biggest piece of help she could get – her father's files on the case – would have to wait.

Soon she lay down, tried to get comfortable on the cold, hard ground, eager to sleep – the sooner she got to work, the sooner she'd get to go home. She wasn't too tired, having slept so much in past days, but she could benefit from it.

Just as she was drifting to sleep though, she heard a noise. Bolting upright, Veronica listened. There were footsteps, no doubt. Throwing her things back in her bag, she tiptoed to the door and cracked it open to see who it was. Her brilliant plan had not accounted for people working late. Not anxious to find herself having to duck around them, Veronica climbed out of the window and jogged down to the street.

She started walked, even though she didn't know where she was going, where to go… Maybe she could go to Cliff. He had some idea of what had been happening, it wouldn't be so bad.

"If you're back for more…" a voice broke through. She looked up and to the side. "We just closed." She paused, recalling his name.

"Wallace…" He nodded, approaching her.

"You alright?" he asked. She ran a hand through her hair with a shy smile.

"Do I look that bad?"

"I didn't mean it like that…" he tried to correct, but she shook her head.

"Three days on a bus will do that to you. Eventually you just… give up trying." He shrugged.

"I've seen worse."

"Good to know," she laughed. It was kind of refreshing – to be in Neptune but not having this person aware of all her baggage. He couldn't judge her on it, not that he looked the type who would, though in a town like this… "I need a little alone time with a mirror and a brush… and a shower," she made a 'bad smell' face.

"Well I can't help with the last one, but… come on," he nodded back to the store, dangling the keys in the air.

"My hero," she sighed breathily.

"Wallace Fennel to the rescue," he nodded, getting the door open.

Veronica went to the back, the small bathroom, as Wallace closed the front door up. He came to stand outside the bathroom as Veronica retrieved a brush from her bag. She tipped her head to look at her hair – she was starting to come up blonde. She could probably let it go now, no more need to cover up.

"So… you're from here, aren't you?" he tempted the question.

"Born and raised," she brushed at the shoulder-length red/blonde hair.

"But you left…"

"That's one way of putting it," Veronica tilted her head, deciding on a ponytail. 'I'm guessing you're not having fun here?" she asked, getting a band from her backpack.

"Beginning of the year, I got taped to the flagpole in front of the school."

"Ah," she nodded.

"Naked…" She put the brush in her bag and looked up at him, leaning against the bathroom door frame.

"Pissed off Weevil, didn't you?"

"And there I thought I was special," he fake-frowned. She smirked.

"Oh you are, I mean… don't I look better now?" she pointed to her head. He nodded and shrugged at once.

"So… who are you?" She stood back on grounded feet. "I mean… the way you're talking to me now? No one's come close to being so… nice, not since my "Snich" day." Veronica picked up her bag, coming to stand across from Wallace at the end of one of the aisles.

"We all have our little stories in here, our things… You got the flagpole – and that must have sucked… and hurt," she winced, thinking of the tape removal. "And I have…" She paused, looking down. He must have sensed the problem she had with the subject, deciding to move along.

"So, where are you headed?" She looked up, gave a shrug.

"Had a place, but that kind of fell apart."

"Where are you gonna go then?"

"The park used to be nice. How's it looking these days?"

"Seriously? You want to sleep in the park?" he blinked.

"Nice, open, airy…" she nodded.

"No way I'm leaving you at the mercy of the crazy guys in there," he gave a nod back. Veronica laughed.

"Could leave me in here if you trust me not to rob you blind."

"You can come to my house," he offered. She hesitated.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. I'm kind of hiding…"

"The closet? I promise it doesn't smell like dirty socks in there." At this point, she was growing a bit sleepy, the offer was getting tempting, and she'd have someone to talk to.

"Okay then," she nodded with a smile. They left the store and started toward Wallace's home. "You can't tell anyone I'm there…"

"Okay," he nodded slowly. "It's just my mom and my little brother, shouldn't be a problem. Why all the secrets anyway…" She kept quiet. "I'm real good at keeping them."

"Well, let's see how this night goes, then I'll think about it.

"Alright," he nodded. They got to the apartment. "Okay, stay here. I'll go in, get to my room, then let you in." she agreed and he went inside. Waiting outside, alone, she wrapped her arms around herself, looking around. Finally, three minutes later, she heard a low whistle. Wallace was peeking out the window, waving her over. She jogged over, tossing him her things before climbing through. "Sorry it took so long. My mother needed me to do something for her."

"Don't worry about it."

Veronica settled into the as-promised clean closet. They agreed on closing the door right away, putting the radio on low to cover whispers. "Comfortable?" Wallace asked.

"Not complaining. Thank you… for all of it."

"You're welcome."

_THE NEXT MORNING_

As decided the previous night, Veronica woke up early. Everything was quiet. Tempting a peek, she pulled the door open. Wallace was still sleeping. She stood, stretching. She may have been okay with her "bed" at first, but now she was feeling it.

She tiptoed to the room's door, listened – still nothing. "Okay…" she whispered to herself, stepping into the hall and making her way to the bathroom. Getting back to the room once she was done, she breathed in relief that no one had caught her. Wallace was waking as she closed the door. "Morning," she smiled, going back to sit in the closet. "Did I…"

"No, it's alright. I'm always the first one up."

"Mm," she went through her Sac-N-Pac purchases. "Here we are – breakfast!" she pulled out a packet of Twinkies.

"Wait…" he spoke then. They got quiet and she heard too. "Mom's up." She put down the Twinkies and closed the closet door. A moment later, Alicia Fennel stepped into her son's room. "Morning," Wallace greeted her.

"Morning," she returned. "I'm going to the market with your brother. Do you need anything?" He shook his head. "Okay," she smiled and left. After a few seconds, Wallace turned on the radio and Veronica opened the closet door.

"After they're gone we can talk," he whispered.

"Okay," she nodded, closing the door again and opening the Twinkies. Twenty minutes later, they were 'all clear', so Veronica came to sit outside the closet. "Do you know who Keith Mars is?" she asked slowly.

"He… used to be the Sheriff here?" She nodded. "People talk, say things… I try not to listen. Knowing from my own experiences that they _love_ to talk trash… Have to feel bad for the guy. I heard his daughter got kidnapped or something last… year…" his voice slowed as he saw the look on her face change. "Wait… you – you're her?"

"I'm Veronica," she nodded.

"Woah…" he blinked. "But if you're here… Why aren't you…"

"Home? I can't. Not yet anyway. I need to look in on some things first."

"Okay," he nodded, "Let me help?"

"Wallace…" she tried to protest.

"What, you're 'in-hiding' girl, you could use a hand…"

"You don't take no for an answer, do you?" she smiled.

"I make it a point not to."

"Well aren't I lucky I met you. Mind if I shower first?"

Soon Veronica and Wallace were walking along. Hair untied and sunglasses on, she hoped it would give sufficient cover to break sudden recognition. Still they kept to streets that weren't too open. It didn't take long before Veronica realized that 'checking up' wasn't going to be easy. After being away for so long, being just out of reach from them wasn't something she could do as she'd planned. They had tried to check on Duncan first, and just approaching the grounds of the Kane residence was making her head spin. Finally they just had to walk away.

"What do you want to do?" Wallace asked.

"Well… there are other things I need to do…" They went to the library, finding a quiet spot where they could talk. Veronica "briefed" Wallace on the details he needed to be aware of – about the Kane case, the Koontz factor… "I tried to keep myself updated with newspapers and the like, but I probably missed some stuff… television reports for one." She looked up to Wallace then.

"What?" he asked.

"Can you run an errand for me? I _really_ can't show my face there…"

"Where?"

"Action News?"

_TWO HOURS LATER – FENNEL HOME_

"Won't your mother be back soon?" Veronica peered through the curtains.

"All the more reason to hurry up," he waved the tapes around.

"Fine," she squinted, "But I'm still standing here."

"If it makes you feel better."

Wallace put in the first tape. It was about Koontz' arrest. The second was about his sentencing, and the third was about his dismissing his lawyer and denying 'further appeals'. Veronica watched each of these intently, taking in all the details she could.

As Wallace was putting back the last tape in its box, turning to Veronica to ask her a question, she looked out the window. "They're here." He handed her the tapes and she hurried to return to her hiding place, breathing deep as she waited. When Wallace came into the room a few minutes later, he went to the closet and peeked in.

"So what now?" She remained quiet, thinking.

"I have to look somewhere…"

"Did you see something on the tapes?"

"Maybe – I don't know. That's why I need to go there." She looked up at him. "This one I have to do on my own." He nodded.

"When?"

"Tonight."

_TEN THAT NIGHT, MARS INVESTIGATIONS_

She'd stood outside the building for almost an hour. For all she knew, there wouldn't be anything. It could all be at home, and then that would be problematic. Still, she went around to the back and broke in. Looking around, she felt a hundred emotions at once. There was no time for walks down Memory Lane though. She had a task at hand, and she couldn't forget it.

The desk was the first to be explored. The familiar scents came upon her like a wave, soothing her. The pictures on the desk brought back memories too, so she tried to ignore them. She checked the drawers, but nothing was there. The cabinets didn't bring anything either. There was only one thing left – the safe. She sighed, looking at it.

Finding the right combination could be tricky. She looked all over without disturbing too much, hoping the numbers would reveal themselves. Then she looked at the picture again. It gave her an idea, though she wasn't too fond of it. She crouched down and worked the combination of the date of her disappearance. She pulled… and it opened.

She fell back to a sitting position on the ground. She pulled out the file box in front and pulled back the lid. Her eyes grew wide. It wasn't about Lilly – it was about her. There were reports from people – the vice-principal, students, a secretary, the woman from the motel… Missing posters, a couple of articles, her cell phone, her ring… there was the napkin note too.

After taking a moment to swallow the resurfacing tears, she put the objects back the way they were in the box and looked back inside the safe. There was another big box in the back. It had to be Lilly's file, it had to be. She reached in to get it, but then…

"Not another move." She froze, not on account of his instructions. "Just get up and back away." She wasn't sure if she could move. "On your feet, come on!" She jumped at the rise in his tone. Slowly, she stood, still not facing him. "Put your hands where I can see them." She lifted them, in the air then to her head. She didn't want to turn around, it wasn't supposed to go like this. He must have finally noticed the file on the ground, her file, as he spoke next, growing agitated. "You went through it, didn't you? You have no right…" she felt him approach, take her arm. She panicked for a moment, tried to wrestle it away. She needed to take control of the situation.

"Wait!" she spoke as he spun her around to come face to face with her, shining a light on. "Dad, it's me!"

TBC


	9. Mars in Neptune

Note: I know I told some people this would be the chapter for the L/V reunion, but as I was writing it was getting kinda long and I didn't want to crowd the chapter, so… it'll be in the next one, promise:D

CHAPTER 9: MARS IN NEPTUNE 

Helping the Manning, as it turned out, had an effect opposite to what Keith had hoped for. A day had passed and he'd spent most of it on the couch, watching television with a dog on his lap. Then around ten, as he was starting to doze off, a beeping sound brought him back. The silent alarm at Mars Investigations had been tripped. Welcoming the distraction, Keith got into his car and headed over.

He was held back a few minutes by some cars parked in the way, forcing him down a different route. Finally parking a short distance from the building, Keith craned his neck to look up at the windows of his office. The faintest hints of a flashlight's beam moving about could be recognized.

Keith got out of the car and crept up to the office. He unlocked the door and walked in, careful not to let the intruder be aware of his presence. He came upon her, as he discovered it was a girl, sitting in front of the open safe. She was reaching in for something as he aimed his own flashlight on her.

"Not another move."

That got the redhead to freeze. He continued to instruct her, getting her to stand and show her hands. He looked down at the area around the safe and saw it – Veronica's file. The thought of this person putting her hands on those things… He hadn't shown them to anyone, hadn't let anyone hold them… The thought of her invading the file made him livid.

"You went through it, didn't you? You have no right…" he went to take her arm, to look at this intruder. She tried to twist away, but he wouldn't let go. He spun her around and shined the flashlight up as she finally spoke.

"Wait! Dad, it's me!"

It nearly broke his balance, the sound of that voice. Haunted for so long by their last conversation, there was no way he could mistake it… Her voice. His arm steadied, aiming the light better so it didn't blind her. The hair was different, but the face was the one he'd ached to see for so long.

"Veronica?" his own voice shattered as the grip on her arm turned from one urgency to another, the one that had to see she was real, not another invention from the mind of his grieving heart. It was no illusion, she was truly standing there.

As she realized he was no longer threatening, that he'd recognized her, she turned her eyes up to meet his, tears springing forth in force. "Dad…"

"Veronica…" he started crying as well, dropping the flashlight to the ground as he placed his hands on her cheeks. "It's really you…" She snatched him up in a desperate hug squeezing tight with all the sorrow of months missing him. He returned the gesture as they faltered to the ground together, holding on for dear life.

"Dad… Daddy… I've missed you so much! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" she spoke shakily.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm here…"

All the bravado had been stripped from them, all the emotions melding in a mass release. They remained this way for a while, neither willing to let go even a little. Veronica kept her head on her father's chest and he kept his arms around her as they finally released the tight grip.

"I can't believe you're finally here…" he spoke with the same joy laced into his words. "I'd almost lost hope it would happen."

"Me too…" she whispered. "But I… I couldn't come back, not until now… and I can't talk about that yet."

"It's okay." After a pause, he looked down on her with a small smile. "Nice hair." She laughed through her tears.

"Don't worry, I'm going back blonde."

"Oh good. So… where'd you go?"

"Many places. Last one was Philadelphia."

"Far…"

"Yeah, no kidding."

"Does… does your mother know…"

"No. She knows I'm gone, but not where. She'll probably figure it out though."

"You should call her."

"I know, I will… but later."

"Sure."

He couldn't help looking at her, his daughter… the same sweet baby girl he'd held in his arms and gently rocked to sleep… it still seemed like yesterday. Her eyes had seen things in life he would have given anything to save her from experiencing.

"You're probably wondering what I was doing in there…" she looked up at him.

"It's crossed my mind a couple of times," he admitted. She nodded.

"I got into town last night. Before I came home, I wanted to find… something, anything… to help confirm that everything that happened wasn't in vain."

"About what?" he asked. She paused. She wasn't sure if he knew… about Lianne's infidelity, the possibility… If he didn't, then giving this news to him just as they were reunited…

"Mom said… the reason she took me was because someone sent her a threat, that they'd hurt me." The effect on her father was instant.

"What kind of threat?"

"Pictures, with a gun sight." She gave him a moment to process the information. "I found the site, the letters; I wanted to keep in touch with the town somehow… After she told me about this, I tried to get a closer look." This gave Keith pause.

"How'd you manage that?" She closed her eyes. She'd hoped she wouldn't trip on this.

"Promise you won't get mad?"

"Honey, I'm just glad to have you back, I won't get mad at you…"

"That's not who I don't want you to be mad at." She took a moment. "During the summer, I was in Tennessee. I worked as a waitress in a diner. I didn't realize it was him until he'd heard me, recognized me… Cliff," she continued before he could ask. Understanding her leniency request now, he remained silent. "I begged him not to tell you, he was just following my wishes. I knew if you knew where I was, you'd come running. Knowing the risks, I had to put my emotions in check. But at least I was able to rely on the fact that someone was looking out for you when I couldn't."

He looked at his daughter understanding her actions on some levels. He leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. "So what kind of a closer look?" he asked. She reached over to her bag, sitting on the ground nearby, fishing out the disc case. She held it out to her father.

"The fountain dedication…" Keith held the case, twirled it in his hand with a chuckle.

"So that's why he was wearing that ugly thing…" Veronica laughed.

"After seeing that, I confronted Mom about the threat. That's when she told me about the pictures." She took a moment then. "We had decided to move one more time, then… we'd settle in and that would be it. I got freaked out by what things had become and I just… gave up. I called Cliff, told him I wouldn't be calling again, that… I wasn't coming home." She looked to her father. He still had the comprehensive look on his face, not one bit of anger. "Next few months… I tried to live this new life, but… I couldn't get away from who I was I guess… Then this guy in my journalism class talked about Abel Koontz, the case. I just… I couldn't take it anymore, I had to get to the bottom of things. So… I came home."

"Do you know where the pictures are?" She shook her head. "Okay. Does she know who sent them?"

'_It's about your father Sweetie… He might… not be…'_ Veronica hadn't really considered what this could mean – maybe she just couldn't accept what this would force her to consider. But then an image popped into her mind, wrestled itself out of many other little moments that hadn't seemed important. Even more so, she'd been small and semi-unconscious. But now with her father's questioning, she was finding herself back there – the lake by the Kanes' summer home.

She hadn't been able to keep up with Duncan and Lilly, had been struggling against the splashing water. The next thing she remembered, she was on the deck and couching as her eyes blinked open.

The key moment was before she started coughing, before the sound drew Celeste Kane's attention to the young Mars. Celeste was looking to her husband. Jake was working to revive Veronica, and Celeste's gaze couldn't be ripped from his reaction to the whole situation.

Back then it hadn't meant anything to her. Not it was telling her that if Keith Mars wasn't her father… Jake Kane could be. And Duncan…

"Veronica?" Keith spoke, seeing her face take to a green tone. She looked to him, shaking the thought away.

"Can we not do this tonight? Please… Dad?" she whispered.

"Absolutely. Shop talk will wait as long as you need. Besides, I'd much rather stay away from the depressing talk, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah," she smiled, then startled. "Backup! Is he okay?"

"You can see for yourself. Let's go home."

_A SHORT TIME LATER – MARS HOME_

"Think he won't recognize me?" Veronicas asked as they walked through the door. No more than three seconds later she was crouching to receive the eager canine without being plowed over. "Hey Buddy, hey! Oh, I've missed you too!" she laughed as Backup went on barking and wagging his tail as she hugged him. Keith grinned, taking in the scene.

"That's the most I've seen him move in months. Most of the time he just kept guard at your door."

"That's my Backup," she scratched at his ears. She remembered then that Wallace was probably wondering what she was up to by now. "I need to make a call," she told her father. After explaining how Wallace had helped her, she went to get the receiver. Backup trailed behind her, not ready to let her out of his sight again by far. She found the notebook page where she'd had him write his number and dialed it.

"Hello?" she recognized the voice as that of Wallace's mother.

"Hi," she winced. "Could I speak to Wallace, please?"

"It's a bit late…"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's a school project, I need to ask him something." Telling a lie was better for the moment than informing this woman she'd slept in her son's closet.

"Alright, just make it quick."

"Okay. Thanks." A minute later, Wallace came on the line.

"Hello?"

"How's that report coming?" she smiled.

"Hey… About time. I was this close from sending a search party."

"Aww, that's sweet…"

"So how's it going? Did you find anything?"

"More like something found me… or someone."

"What?" he startled.

"It's okay, it was a good someone," she looked back to her father, who seemed busy preparing a snack for an army. After hanging up with Wallace and seeing her father was still busy, she looked to her closed bedroom door. She'd been waiting for this moment since they'd left the office.

She walked up to the door, putting her hand around the knob, turning it and pushing. The room was just as her fuzzy memory had left it, only better. Every little detail seemed to jump out at her and make her more and more happy. She walked around the space with reverence, finding the items waiting for her to be pieces of herself coming back. Her camera still sat by her bed, and she had it in her hands before she knew it, welcoming it like a long lost friend. Sitting on her bed, then lying back on it, she took a deep breath and she knew she was home at last, right where she was supposed to be.

"Hey, sugar coma, living room, come on," her father came to get her and she bounced up to follow him with a laugh.

_THE NEXT MORNING, MARS INVESTIGATIONS_

"Hey Cliff, thanks for coming in," Keith stood to greet him in the main office.

"Your message was… well, cryptic. How could I pass that up?" The smile on the P.I.'s face was odd, which left Cliff cautious and at ease at the same time.

"Had a walk-in case last night," Keith explained, coming to stand by the man and lead him into his office. Sitting in front of the desk with a grin on her face was Veronica.

"Hey," she spoke.

"She told me about your conversations, and she convinced me not to lose my head over your not telling me about it. Say thank you," Keith patted his shoulder.

"Thank you," Cliff responded, then smiled.

"You're welcome," Veronica nodded, walking up and hugging him. "I owe you one too. Thank you for helping me, and for keeping your word."

"When did you get back?" he asked.

"Two nights ago."

"So I can call you 'Veronica' now, right?" Keith looked confused there.

"Yeah, you can," she laughed, then turning to her father. "When we ran into each other, I was going by 'Eve'. I was also Nina, Laura, and Sarah… It got kind of mixed up after a while."

Shortly after, the three sat around the desk to get down to business. Backup, having refused to be left behind, sat at Veronica's feet.

"Look, I don't know how much help I can be at this point, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," Veronica nodded to Cliff.

"I'll head to my office and check the files," he nodded before standing, shaking hands with Keith. "And welcome home, Miss Mars," he turned to Veronica before leaving.

"Dad?" she looked to him.

"I know. You want to look at the file," he guessed, making her smile. "If you must…" he nodded, going to the safe.

"Maybe there won't be anything in there. Maybe… my thoughts were wrong."

"Hey, they got you here, so as far as I'm concerned your brain is spot on," he reassured her, placing the file on desk. Veronica smiled. "I haven't looked at these in months…" he sighed.

"Well let's see what we have," she came to stand next to him. Before they could start pulling things out, they heard the sound of steps coming up the staircase – the clicking of high-heeled shoes. Father and daughter shared a look as Keith went to the window.

"It's Celeste Kane," he spoke barely above a whisper as he shook his head. Veronica's eyes grew wide as she went up to her father.

"Don't tell her I'm back, she can't know. Please?" she looked up at him. He nodded and pushed her into his office. A second later, Mrs. Kane walked in. Keith stood with an unreadable expression on his face. He didn't know what was going on, but if his just-returned girl wanted him not to let that cat out of the bag, he'd make sure that bag stayed firmly closed.

"Hello Keith," she greeted him, always with the same 'refined pride'.

"Morning," he nodded.

"I'm sorry for just dropping in like this."

"Not at all. It's no problem. Unfortunately, I still have nothing for you." She produced a disappointed smile, pausing and humming before going on.

"So how are you doing?"

"Same as usual," he shrugged.

"Well don't lose hope. I'm sure she'll come home eventually."

"Thanks." Celeste nodded and, after some good-byes, she was gone. Once he'd seen her drive off, he went into his office, where Veronica stood from her corner. Both of them had question marks in their eyes over what had just happened. Veronica spoke up first.

"What was that all about?" Keith sighed.

"She's had me working this case for months now. It's bogus, I've figured that much. But she pays, so…" He paused, laughing. "If it were anyone else, I'd think she felt bad for everything that had gone down…"

"Oh God…" Veronica whispered, understanding dawning on her.

"Honey?" Keith noticed.

"She's checking up…" she continued to whisper to herself. She looked up to her father. "She's not remorseful… she's making sure I'm still away."

"What?"

"It's her. She sent the pictures to Mom…"

"Why would she do that?" Keith asked. She had to tell him, no way around it now. Could he already know? Even if just pieces, it would be less of a blow.

"Dad…" she started slowly. "Have you ever… had any reasons to believe… Mom was ever unfaithful?" The question blindsided him, though she couldn't tell if it was discovery or surprise that she knew. He walked around her, going to sit behind is desk. She followed with her eyes but didn't move. As he sat, he indicated the chair across from him. After a moment, she sat as instructed. He took a minute, perhaps choosing his words.

"It's not something easy… to admit to yourself your wife is either not happy enough with you or just not over the past… or both. But hey, I'm a cop. What kind of investigator would I be if I didn't pick up on the signs?"

"Dad…" she could see the emotions on his face, wanted to stop them. He raised his hand.

"It's okay." She got quiet again, waited for him to go on. "I didn't see it. Not at first… When I did, I was too angry with myself…" She looked up at him, the next part of the questioning being harder than the first. He must have understood that. He saved her the trouble of having to say it. "None of it… ever mattered… as far as you and I are concerned. You're my daughter, always have been and always will be. It doesn't matter what anyone says, doesn't change anything for me."

She was crying now, and he came to sit next to her, letting her take comfort in her daddy's arms. "I love you, you know that?" she tried to stop crying.

"Yeah, I do," he smiled against her hair. When she pulled back, the only remnants of her momentary breakdown were drying tears and the need for a deep breath. "I think it's time we took a look at those files. The rest can wait."

They started pulling documents, envelopes, bags, everything that was in the box. For over an hour, Veronica looked through the items as her father explained certain things. He still wasn't telling her everything, she could tell, but it was okay. There was only so much information she could take at one point.

"I need a break…" she sighed, rubbing at her eyes. Backup trotted over and rested his head in her lap as she sat back. She smirked, scratching him.

"Veronica…" Keith spoke up. "We need to figure some things out. At one point or another, people are going to know you're back. If I may suggest, don't let them figure it out first."

"So I have to 'out' myself?" she sighed. He nodded. "What do you think? Would it be too much to rent one of those airplanes that write messages in the sky? _'Veronica Mars, back in Neptune! Pass it on!'_" she mimed word placements with her hand.

"Might be, just a bit," he admitted.

"I'll have to call Mom too," she sighed. "Either way, before I can let the word hit the streets, we have to deal with this Celeste thing."

"What do you have in mind?" She gave him a tiny smile.

"You're probably not going to like it."

_LATER THAT DAY – KANE RESIDENCE_

Veronica sat in the car, parked just outside the perimeter, for some time. She knew she had to do this, the rest of… whatever would happen… wouldn't be as smooth running if she still had this hanging over her head. But at the same time, it was sort of frightening to be back there. This was where Lilly had died, that already made her skin crawl. The kicker was facing the other Kanes.

If she saw Jake, she knew she wouldn't be able to help herself and prevent looking at him long hard for any features they may or may not share – and finding some would only increase the ick. Celeste… she wasn't afraid of her. After everything she'd gone through because of this woman… she was almost looking forward to the look on her face when she'd see her now.

But then there was Duncan. So many things came to mind with him – their relationship and subsequent breakup, his help with the text message, and the possibility that they were half-siblings most of all. Was this why he'd ended things so abruptly? Had he found out and jumped back in fear? If that was the case, she was willing to bet it was Celeste's doing. Lilly had said Celeste would try to break them up, and though there still was no confirmation that it was for sure true, she'd banked on it for her own benefits.

Veronica took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Poor Backup had to be promised she'd be back before letting her go. Every step she took, getting closer to the door, she felt her courage strengthen and shatter all at once. She had to remind herself of what she was trying to do, and hope it would be enough to keep her legs working.

She got up to the door and, after another minute of inner palpitations, she pressed the doorbell. It was done now, and she took a breath to celebrate that. She paced about waiting for someone to answer. She really hoped Celeste would answer, and she wouldn't have to face anyone else just yet. No such luck.

She heard the door open and turned to meet whomever had answered. She found herself face to face with Duncan. Neither of them spoke for a minute. Duncan was speechless, seeing her standing before him. He was awake, it was real – he knew this – but it was still so hard to believe. For her part, Veronica was fighting back the crushed floodgates of emotions she had feared just a few minutes ago.

"Hey… Duncan," she finally broke through, finding balance again.

"You… you're back?" She nodded.

"Can I come in?" she asked after he seemingly lost his voice again.

"Uh, yeah, of course," he blinked and stepped aside. She walked in and he closed the door.

"I know you probably have a lot of questions…" she looked up at him. "All I can say for now is it's complicated. You're going to have to be patient about this."

"Okay," he answered, mostly for a lack of anything else he knew to say at that instant.

"Most importantly, you can't tell anyone I'm back, no one. Okay?"

"Are you leaving again?" he asked, worried again.

"No, no, I'm not. I just… I need to be the one to let them know." He nodded. Neither was too sure of what to say next, and Veronica could feel the thoughts returning, so she got back on task. "I, uh… I actually need to talk to your mother." He stood there, then blinked.

"My mother? Why would you need to…"

"Complicated, see?" she smiled shyly. "Please, Duncan. It's really important."

"She's out right now." Veronica sighed. "She should be back soon though," he continued. Relief set in as he then offered to keep her company until then. They went into the living room and sat. "What happened that day?" he asked.

Observing him, she could tell that he'd changed since she'd last seen him. He seemed more at ease, something she could see despite the shock of seeing her still occupying his face. She wasn't sure how it had happened, if it had anything to do with her… He couldn't have been glad about this, could he?

"I, well… I woke up in my mother's car and we drove to this motel…"

"The Calder," he filled in and she nodded.

"I wanted to escape, return home. That's when I sent you that message. But then…" She stopped as she heard the door.

"Duncan?" they heard Celeste call out.

Veronica looked to him and, giving him a silent request to stay there and stay quiet, she stood and carefully followed the sound. She stopped outside of her sight, but within her own viewpoint. She looked just as she remembered, if only with shorter hair. She'd stopped at a small table near the entrance, where the mail had been left. She picked up the stack and started going through it.

"Duncan!" she called again, prompting Veronica to wave her arm behind herself to urge him once again to stay quiet. No doubt he was asking himself many questions right then, but they would have to wait.

At last, she stepped into the open. Celeste's back was still turned to her. The sound of her shoes alerted her to the presence, though she mistook their owner.

"Your father's going to be working late tonight, so we'll be dining alone. How about we head over to _Chez Michel_?" She finished going through the mail, noticing the continuing silence. "What's the matter?" she asked, turning and expecting to find her son.

What she did find made the envelopes in her hand tumble down to the ground. Veronica found power in this.

"Hello Mrs. Kane."

TBC


	10. No Parades or Applause

**Note: Sorry for the delay once again, you know how the muse can get ;)**

**CHAPTER 10: NO PARADES OR APPLAUSE**

There were things that made being back in Neptune hard. Resting in her bed for the first time in nearly a year, that was what had been on Veronica's mind. She wasn't anxious with facing the rest, the 09ers… Staying away from being Veronica Mars for so long, she didn't have to think about dealing with them and what that might be like.

Then there were things like Shelly Pomeroy's party. Her time away had been beneficial in allowing her to push it out of her head, Now that she was back, it was one of the many things that had begun circling back and reintegrating her thoughts. And they made her skin crawl. She didn't want that to get to her too much, and really she'd be fine. She just had to give it time, let things settle a bit.

Being home with her father helped. Her first night and morning back gave her plenty of that help. Considering she would soon be facing Celeste Kane, she really needed it. After the snack had been consumed, Veronica was ready to head to bed. She changed into PJs, got into bed. Being in her belongings was more of a blessing when it came to resting. She truly had the best sleep she'd had since they'd left.

Her father had come to check up on her a few times, she knew it. Seeing how he was almost scared it would turn out to be a cruel dream only made Veronica more sorry. They could have found a way to take him along. They could have all left together and never looked back… instead he'd been left behind, their family torn apart. Veronica wasn't going to let that happen again, no matter whose paternal genes she carried.

In the morning she'd awakened to the smell of pancakes and many more delicious things. She smiled, looking down to the dog sleeping over her.

"Wake up, breakfast time," she whispered to the dog. Over the meal, which her father had put together with the same importance as the previous night's snack, they talked. It was then that they'd devised the plan of how to 'bring Cliff in'. The whole day though, she knew it somehow would lead to some tough confrontations.

So as she stood there and watched Celeste Kane turn around, she was braced and ready. The woman's face froze, perhaps attempting to block off any strong reactions.

"Hello Mrs. Kane," she greeted her with a barely concealed annoyance. Celeste remained, calculating. "I know what you're probably thinking, that you'd finally seen the last of me. Darn, foiled," Veronica intoned. "Your big threat? We've got you figured out." Celeste opened her mouth to speak, but Veronica interrupted her. "Don't try to deny it, okay? I know about everything. Look around, if I was here to bust you, would my father have let me come alone?" The woman's posture changed, showing her willingness to speak openly if only to a point.

"I'm not sure what you're looking for here…"

"You had my mother pretty scared, made her think this was the only way to keep me safe. Was that really necessary? Were you so insecure about your precious reputation, your money?"

"It's nothing against you…"

"Really, 'cause it doesn't feel personal at all," Veronica had to force herself not to raise her voice, knowing Duncan was in the other room. She didn't want to get him involved in this. "You put my family through hell. Was it payback or something?"

"I know this may not seem like the answer you're hoping for, but I didn't mean for it to get to this." Veronica stood in silence for a moment.

"I'm not going to pretend that anything you say might make things okay again. Try to justify it to yourself if you must, but don't try with me. The reason I came here today is that I wanted you to learn I was back from me. I wanted to be there. And more importantly, I came to tell you… back down. Whatever you're afraid I might do, I won't. You leave me and my father be, we won't tell and we won't sue." After a moment, Celeste spoke.

"Alright."

"There's just one thing I need from you… actually, two. One, keep this meeting between us. I'll tell people I'm back on my own terms, or I go to the Instigator. Does that work for you?"

"Yes," Celeste nodded.

"Two…" her voice shuddered. "I'd like a test, so I… we know for sure… Would you make that happen?" This took a moment longer.

"I'll need to talk to Jake."

"That's fine."

"It might be a few days."

"Well I'm not going anywhere, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"Right," Celeste nodded.

"Have a nice dinner. I'll see myself out."

Turning away from her, she had to will herself to keep it together just a while longer. Just looking at Celeste Kane was enough to send her tumbling back to the desperation of her months away. Up until now, she thought nothing could break her new resolve, but evidently there was. Hopefully it would be the only one.

She walked carefully, quietly, so Duncan wouldn't hear her go. She didn't want to have to explain herself any further. She just wanted to get home. These were the last moments she had before she re-entered the Neptune social awareness, the last moments for some time – she imagined – where there wouldn't be the constant buzzing of questions and comments. She could just see it now, hear it, and it only made her teeter with nausea. She got to the door and squeezed out, turning to rest against it. Eyes closed, deep breaths, nothing would happen. It would be fine, no problems. She was home, that was all that mattered – and as long as she let herself believe it, so could she.

"Veronica?"

The thumping in her chest intensified. She couldn't even pretend, for the sake of an extra moment of denial. The voice was unmistakable. It wasn't a problem – after all, she was the new Veronica, not the girl she'd been when they last saw each other. She realized then that she wasn't actually scared She thought she would be, but the thump wasn't fear – just surprise. To know that her reaction to him had changed as it had… it felt good.

"Veronica…" he spoke again, and at last she opened her eyes.

"Logan… hi." The look on his face was odd to say the least. There were so many emotions mixed together it was sort of impossible to identify any one separately. He even looked like he was on the verge of tears. "What are you…"

"I think under the circumstances I should be the one asking questions."

"Please, I… I can't do this… not now…" she shook her head. She looked back up, trying to plot an exit strategy. He stood between her and the car, and she didn't know how he'd react if she tried to leave.

"We were all worried about you…"

"You... you were worried?" she asked, leaning on doubt. "I'm… I have to go," she took a breath and started to move past him.

"Veronica, wait… please…" he reached out to take her arm. She stopped, feeling his hand shaking. She looked at it, then up at him.

A second later, the door to the house opened and Duncan walked out, halting at the scene before him. "Logan?" he asked. On the sound, Logan let go and Veronica took a step back, both looking away. "You didn't say you were leaving," Duncan turned to Veronica.

"I know, I'm sorry. I have to go," she finally made her exit, looking at them over her shoulder for a second before taking a hurried walk to the car. The boys watching her go before Logan finally turned back to Duncan.

"What are you doing here?" Duncan asked.

"Shift a pronoun, would you… She…" Logan looked back to see her car drive away. "Is there something I should know?"

"She just… showed up. She says she just got back."

"To you…"

"No. She wanted to talk to my mother," Duncan sounded as confused as Logan looked. "Logan, what's going on?"

"Well I said I'd see you around. I was just thinking… I want things to be how they were… the parts that can at least," he chuckled lightly. Duncan gave a small smile

"Got some new video games."

"Ah, the cornerstone of our friendship, crushing you at every game."

"Oh I think you'll find I've got some new tricks up my sleeves." They took a moment of silence before starting back for the house.

"So she's back…" Logan spoke slowly.

"Yeah…"

"Well, this should make school interesting at the very least…"

MARS HOME 

"Dad?" Veronica called as she walked in, placing the car keys on the counter.

"Be right there, stay in the kitchen!" he called out.

"What are you up to?" she called back with a bit of a smirk.

"You'll see!"

"I'm so glad to be back. I've missed having you there to cheer me up."

"Everything alright?" he asked, coming to join her.

"Well I had a meeting with Celeste Kane…"

"Right."

"Care to tell me why you have sugar rush face?"

"Well, I… wanted to get you something to say 'welcome back'."

"And?"

"I got a little carried away…"

"A little carried…"

"A lot, okay. Right this way!" he jogged behind her to direct her toward her room. Veronica laughed, doing her best to keep up. Seeing him regaining the old glimmer he had once was already welcome enough, whatever he had in store for her was a bonus.

Walking into her room, she found a large pile of wrapped items. "Wow…"

"Those over there were your birthday presents, I'd gotten them just in case. A-and these…" he brought her closer to the pile, "These were for Christmas." They shared a wistful smile. "And then the others… welcome back." She could hear the tears of joy choking his voice, and she hugged him tight.

"Love you Dad…"

"Love you too kiddo." They pulled back after a moment.

"I should call Mom… she'll be worried sick."

"Okay," Keith nodded. "I'll let you do that, then we can open the presents."

"Okay," she smiled. Keith leaned in to kiss his daughter's forehead and left the room, closing the door. Veronica sighed and took the phone, sitting down on her bed before dialing. It had only been half a week since she'd left from their home and the pressure of the guilt she was feeling made his call even more difficult. One ring, two rings, and…

"Hello?" her voice was on edge, sad…

"Mom…" Veronica breathed.

"Where are you?"

"I can't… I left for a reason, and if I tell you then you'll come get me."

"I won't…"

"Yes, you will. And you can't. I have to see this through. I called so you'd know I was okay. I promised I would. Look, this isn't about cutting you out of my life. I need you, I love you, I just need to figure out who I am." She paused. "I set up an e-mail account. You'll be able to contact me that way, and I'll be able to do the same with you."

"How long is this all going to take?"

"I don't know… but I'll figure it out."

After hanging up, Veronica sat there swallowing away any urge to cry. She didn't know what would happen, she didn't know if her family could ever be together again. But she couldn't tell her mother that. She already had enough on her plate as it was. She smiled to herself as her eyes fell on the presents. At the moment she had to focus on her father, her potential Kane connection, and the rest of Neptune. The next day would be a very big day, no matter how she was received by the town.

THE NEXT MORNING 

When Veronica woke up that morning, there it was again… the feeling in her gut. It didn't worry her though. It would have worried her if it wasn't there. There was no denying it – this day would change everything. The last few days, it had still been transit – from everyone she'd been back to who she was, with all of them coming together to make her 'the brand new Veronica Mars'. When she went out there today, it would have to be what she was now and what she'd remain.

She wasn't sure if she understood these thoughts; a psychiatrist would be just as confused. She sort of had to wonder what would have happened if she hadn't gone away. Would she still be living through the hell of what she'd once left behind? Was she about to get back in it? As much as she didn't want to worry, she still couldn't chase away the thoughts.

She looked down to Backup, snoring as he lay over her feet. She was home. This was everything she'd hoped for. Yes, there would be a period of incessant questions. Yes, people would more than likely talk and whisper for just as long or even longer. But this was what she wanted. As twisted as it could sound, she missed it all. So it was just a matter of making a move, getting the wheels to start spinning. Once it started, she could start the motions toward her life again. No more running, no more hiding. Yes, her hair was still faded red, but other than that… she was back.

"Let's get this show on the road," she scratched Backup's back with a smirk before getting up. He started to make a move, then just lied back down with a sort of yawn. What did one wear on their re-entrance into Neptune society? She picked out a couple of things before heading into the shower.

Forty-five minutes later, she walked into the kitchen, hair done, clothed. Her father was in there, reading the paper. She sat to the waiting breakfast, looking at him. "Hey, look, there's an early showing at the cineplex, wacky cop comedy. What do you say we blow this off?"

"'This', being my education?" she smiled, grabbing a piece of toast.

"What could you possibly learn in there I can't show you myself?"

"Mm… science?" she guessed. He paused.

"Yeah…"

"Dad, it's gonna be okay. Now, how is this going to work exactly."

"Well, if you insist…" he put the paper down. "I'll take you in to see Clemmons, then hopefully he'll be able to get you back into classes."

"Okay," she nodded. "And we can see the wacky cops this weekend."

"Thank you," he nodded innocently.

On the car ride over to school, Veronica sat deep against her seat, looking out the window. Seeing Neptune in all its sunny, morning glory seemed sort of off-putting, considering that had and would come to pass. As they approached the building, Veronica could tell her father was looking over her every few seconds.

"Okay, you need to work on 'covert'," she turned to look at him with a smile. "I'm fine."

"I know you are. One day you'll understand why I can't help worrying."

"Worry all you want. I think it's sweet." He chuckled as they turned to approach the curb. Students and faculty were milling in for the day ahead of them, none having taken notice of the car so far. "Well here goes," Veronica nodded. "Dad?" she spoke as she reached for the handle.

"Yeah, honey?" he did the same.

"Love you."

"Love you too," he smiled, squeezing her left hand for a second. He exited the car first, walking around to stand by her as she stepped out. She blinked back the initial exposure to the sun, her vision clearing again as they started toward the building.

The buzz of whispers began within seconds. Veronica walked on, head high and eyes ahead. She couldn't afford to look to them yet. If she did, her control might falter. If she gave it some time, they could all work out the surprise of first sight while she was in the meeting with her father and Clemmons. After that, it was all free game.

Keith and Veronica walked into the school and toward the administrative office. As they walked in, the secretary gasped.

"Could you tell the Vice-Principal we want to speak with him?"

"Just… just a second," she turned to the phone and dialed. "Mr. Clemmons, sir? Keith and Veronica Mars are here to see you," she spoke, looking up at them.

"Say that again?" Clemmons' voice came through the speaker.

"Mars, she said," Veronica leaned over the counter to speak into the machine. Keith pulled her back with a chuckle. A moment later, Clemmons stepped out of his office. He stood frozen, looking at them. Veronica gave a small wave. "Hi," she greeted him.

They stepped into his office, sitting across from the dazed man. There was a minute or two where no one spoke. Even though she was clearly sitting before him, it was like he couldn't believe she was there. Finally, Keith broke the silence.

"Look, you're probably wondering what's going on right now. The thing is, she got back into town a few days ago. Until this morning, only a few people knew about this."

"Well, this is a… delicate situation of course… I don't know about the circumstances, and I know that asking you would be pointless. Am I right?"

"Very much so," Keith nodded.

"Alright, then let's move along," Clemmons did the same.

"Right."

"I assume you're here to re-enroll?" he turned to Veronica. He had that same look in his eyes, the one she'd seen in Cliff's eyes, in Duncan, Celeste, and Logan – as though they were in the presence of some mythical creature suddenly revealed to be real.

"That's exactly it," she confirmed.

"Well let's see… You've been gone for nearly a year…"

"I was in school. I don't think we all studied exactly the same things, but… give me some tests and I can show you."

"That can be done. Now, if I were to allow you back, into the junior class, you'd have to do more than tests. You'll talk with the teachers, you can figure things out. I would also need for you to keep a meeting with the guidance counselor. Once a week, for a month, Miss James will expect you."

"That seems reasonable," Veronica slowly nodded. She wasn't sure how much she waned to tell this woman, but if this was what it took…

"Okay then… Welcome back," he held out his hand.

It was nearly an hour before they stepped out of the office, a brand new class schedule in Veronica's hands. "Ooh, math… lovely…" she looked to her father.

"Who's that?" he was indicating someone signaling to them from the hall. She looked up and grinned, waving him over.

"Heard you were here, had to see for myself," Wallace approached them.

"The rumors are true," she continued smiling. "I was hoping you'd show up. Check it out," she turned her schedule over for him to see.

"Hi, Keith Mars," he cut in. Veronica blinked, realizing she was leaving him out.

"Sorry… Wallace, this is my father. Dad, this is Wallace Fennel. I told you about him?"

"Of course. Nice to finally meet you Wallace," Keith shook his hand.

"Likewise."

"And uh… thank you."

"Sure."

"Okay, are you sure you'll be okay?" Keith turned to his daughter. "I don't have to leave…"

"Yeah you do," she smirked. "Relax. I'm not alone. I have Wallace," she nodded toward him and he nodded back.

"Fine, fine. I'll go. I'll be here to pick you up when school's out this afternoon."

"Okay. Now off you go." Keith leaned in for a quick hug and forehead kiss.

"Alright… see you then…" Another pause and he finally headed out.

"So let me see," Wallace pointed to the sheet in her hand. She handed it over and he checked it out. "Wow, it's practically the same as mine except for a couple things."

"Isn't it great the way things turn out some times?"

"Mm mm. I'm getting this feeling this isn't an accident."

"How perceptive of you. We should get going. I sort of need the 'good impression' points here. How is it out there? Lots of chatter?"

"You're a hot topic. I'm starting to get what you were saying. Don't worry, I got your back."

"Yeah," they 'bumped fists' and headed off into the hall. "I feel so loved," Veronica sighed breathily as they found all available eyes turning to them.

"Forget them," he shrugged.

"I know," she assured him. "Let's go." Getting to their first class, which they shared, Veronica spotted Duncan, then Logan. There was a brief exchange of looks before they went on.

"On a scale of one to ten, how awkward is this for you?" Wallace asked as they took a couple of seats together.

"Rating is premature at this point," she nodded. As the teacher arrived, they could tell he'd heard of her presence. "I'm famous," she whispered to Wallace before getting up to hand the teacher a form. After class, which went a lot better than she'd thought, they headed back into the hall. "So I guess we'll see each other again at lunch?" Veronica asked Wallace.

"Okay," he nodded and they headed in opposite directions.

Now that she was alone, she didn't have that calm, safe feeling anymore. She missed it immediately, missed Wallace… She'd had it and lost it as she'd had and lost Lilly, then Avery, then Margot… To have it again, especially now… it felt good. It also felt like something she didn't want to lose again. Having this kind of friendship… it was something to cherish, to protect.

"Veronica Mars…" She looked up, out of her thoughts. Weevil stood three feet away from her. "Heard you were back," he came up to stand at her side.

"News travels fast. Heard you helped my father with a case."

"Yeah," he nodded then shrugged. "Couldn't let that idiot get away with what he did."

"That's so noble of you."

"Are you okay?" he diverted.

"More and more," she confirmed. "What does that say about me?" He gave her a half-smile.

"I'll see you around."

Turning on her heel, Veronica headed off to her next class. When lunchtime came around, she was more than glad to go find Wallace again. He was waiting for her just out of the line in the cafeteria.

"Food…" she hummed.

"Don't get too excited." She laughed lightly as they picked up their trays. Finding a table, both did their best to ignore the looks and/or whispers

"I talked to my mother last night," Veronica told Wallace.

"Was she okay?"

"Well, I did what I could to reassure her. I don't think it really worked, but hopefully she'll come around."

"But you didn't tell her you were here?"

"It's better for now. After everything that happened, she just can't be here right now. It would get complicated…"

"She's your mother, she's out there… At least you have that…"

"Does it make me sound selfish?" she asked. She had been aware of his family situation, but then…

"No, no… I didn't mean it that way. You had a rough year, your decisions are your own. And I get it."

"I love them both, that's not the issue. Factoring the way things were before with what this put all of us through…"

"She's better off," he nodded.

"Yeah."

As silence set in for a pause, it allowed for their surroundings to come back into focus. She knew that was to come. A comment here, a mime there… There was no way around it, not that she was looking to run. She just didn't want open floodgates on this better-than-hoped first day back. Any other day, she'd deal with whatever they threw her way. But it couldn't be today. She hurried to finish her lunch.

"Woah, easy there. It's not like it's that good…" Wallace pointed out.

"I just need to take care of something. See you in History?" she stood.

"Yeah," he nodded.

She went back inside, dodging any incidents. She found the journalism class, which appeared blissfully empty. She closed the door and sat at the large table with a sigh, rubbing at her temples.

"Hiding?" She jumped at the voice, turning to find she wasn't alone as she'd thought.

"Logan…" He came out from behind the partition that had kept him hidden. "I didn't realize anyone was…"

"What can I say, I'm very quiet." He came to sit across from her. "What happened? Where'd you go?" he asked slowly.

Just as when they'd run into each other outside Duncan's home, she picked up on something in his tone that kept her from walking away right then. She had known people might have changed over time. Whether she could have guessed Logan would be one of them though… There had been the video from the memorial though, and there she'd first seen this in Logan. It wasn't as though she had forgotten what had happened after Lilly's death between the two of them. She remembered that last day…

She shook away the thoughts, remembering that he was right there with her. "It's the big question today, isn't it?" she looked up.

"Everyone's got their theory. They only escalated in improbability with each month. Someone suggested… well, I kind of stopped listening…" Taking a moment, she finally spoke up.

"My mother took me to protect me from some threats. We were in hiding."

"You came back. Crisis averted?"

"More or less."

"Your father didn't find you?"

"We asked him not to. Still, we took precautions."

"Like what?"

"Changed names… changed looks…"

"Yeah," he pointed to her hair.

"Yeah," she reached for it.

"My mother didn't want us to be found. And she made sure of that. She doesn't know came back here." She paused, looking down to her hands. "Logan, you can't tell anyone about this. I don't know why I…" she shook her head.

"I won't tell, I promise," he nodded, not wanting her to bolt off. "You wanted to be alone… I'll keep watch," he stood.

"You don't have to…"

"With the Neptune High paparazzi out there? I deal with the real ones, they're not fun." She laughed, nodding.

"Guess so… How are they doing, your parents?"

"Dad's his usual 'lovable' self… Mom's in transit between parties and functions." She nodded. "I'll… get out there," he pointed to the door.

"Okay." He turned to leave, but she had to ask. "Logan?" He looked back toward her. "Why… why are you being so… well, nice. Last time we saw each other, we weren't exactly on the best terms. What changed?"

"Not pity… I wouldn't want that for anyone… I can't really explain it yet. But I'll try – I don't know when."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." He gave her a small nod and left the room.

Back in the quiet of the empty room, Veronica could find her breath again. If she could get through this day, then all of the others wouldn't be in vain. She looked around the classroom. She'd loved being part of the journalism class at the last school she'd gone to. It had only seemed natural to try her hand at it here too. When she'd gotten her hands back on her camera, it made her realize how much she'd missed having it. This could be her chance.

When the day ended, Veronica and Wallace went out to the front of the school. As promised, there was Keith waiting. "Want a ride home?" Veronica asked Wallace.

"Sure," he smiled.

After dropping him off, father and daughter were back alone at last.

"How was your day?"

"Oh, you know. Classes, lunch… I've never gotten this many looks in one day."

"It'll change."

"I know it will. Still, I'll always have it hanging over my head. But it's okay," she shrugged.

"Hey… How about we get pizza and some ice cream on the way home."

"I'm liking that idea… A lot," she nodded with a smile. "Maybe we could drop by the video store too?"

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded approvingly.

She'd had a stomach ache all day, a pinch… It wasn't about discomfort or anything. For the first real time, she'd felt like herself again. And that alone could have made this day so memorable. Knowing that she was home, and that she had people there to count on… She was optimistic for the future in ways she hadn't been since that day in October. If this was possible, then maybe there was hope for some kind of reunion for herself and her mother and father. Whenever that might be, she was waiting.

TBC


	11. And Life Goes On?

**Note: Sorry for the delay once again, you know how the muse can get ;)**

**CHAPTER 11: AND LIFE GOES ON?**

_THE NEXT MORNING_

Veronica woke up feeling rather at ease. With the first day out of the way, things were falling into place towards everything she'd been seeking these last few months. She got up, stretching. As she lowered her arms, she picked up on the sound of her father's voice out there. It was loud, angry. Opening her door just a crack, she stood in her room and listened.

"… your ratings. This is my daughter, and she's been through a lot, I don't want you hounding her and following her everywhere she goes. If I find out you tried to question her, you or anyone else, I'll…" Veronica walked out of her room then, causing Keith to pause. "You want your quote, here it is: Veronica has displayed courage and confidence in this ordeal and I'm proud of her for it," he spoke looking at her before hanging up. Veronica smiled and went up to hug him.

"You're going to make me cry. Thanks."

"Well, they still won't all go away."

"I know," she nodded. "I'm not worried – I've got you."

Perhaps she was worried – a little bit, deep down, but her father would hear none of it. He didn't have to think of that on top of everything.

"Go get ready, I'll drive you. Does your friend need a lift?"

"Uh, I can check…"

Shortly after, they were on their way to Neptune High. She'd called Wallace and discovered he wouldn't be in that day, out sick. She promised to drop in for a visit, working not to sound too disappointed. It made it easier, having Wallace. She knew she couldn't always rely on him, but it was still nice.

Her father dropped her off, and in she went for her second day. Things were mostly the same, the chatter had only slightly decreased. She didn't want to think about it, but she couldn't ignore how it all reminded her of how things had been shortly before she left town. Things weren't the same, yet a lot of it hadn't changed all that much.

"Miss Mars?" she heard and turned, coming face to face with the woman she recognized as their guidance counselor.

"Hi," Veronica responded slowly.

"Mr. Clemmons informed me on the situation so I was hoping I'd find you."

"Here I am," she nodded.

"Yes. I wanted to decide with you on the best time for our sessions. Is Friday after last period all right with you?"

"Sure."

"Great. Okay, well I'll see you there. And… welcome back," she smiled.

"Thanks," Veronica smiled back.

It wasn't ten seconds before she was once again accosted, this time by a girl about her age with a blue fringe in her hair. Judging by the smile on her face, it didn't look like she was about to turn rude on her; but in this school you never knew.

"Hey," she nodded.

"Hey," Veronica nodded back.

"I know you don't know me, but on my end…"

"Look, whatever you heard, those guys…"

"No, no," she cut in to correct. "Please, they'll never be my source of info unless I need to know about country clubs or alcohol… which I don't." Veronica relaxed at her explanation, smiled. "No, your father told me."

"What?" Veronica blinked.

"Last year, I stumbled into a bit of business that… well, I probably shouldn't say. Bottom line is I could have been in a heap of trouble. That's until your father stumbled in as well. He said he wouldn't tell on me and once we got to talking, he said I'd just need to do one thing in exchange. He asked me to build a dummy site, a front for a smaller site." Veronica understood.

"That was you?"

"I also go by Mac," she offered her hand. Veronica shook it gladly.

"Hi. I mean, thank you."

"Sure." Neither of them seemed to know what to do or say next. So… where are you heading?" Mac asked.

"Science. You?"

"Science," she smirked.

"Well then… let's go."

"Let's," Mac agreed, and they started down the hall.

"Can I ask you something?" Veronica asked as they walked.

"Uh, yeah," Mac looked to her.

"What was it like while I was gone? I mean…"

"What they were saying?"

"Yeah."

"At first, the general belief was that you'd staged it to get away because of shame. Then it hit the news and for a little bit, they seemed… concerned." She paused.

"And then?" Veronica asked.

"When it left the news, like nothing happened, that's when it started getting crazy. Look, Veronica… you're planning on staying, right?"

"Yeah."

"And is anything they say now going to make you change your mind?"

"Of course not."

"Then forget about what they said or might have said. They are who they are. They'll always talk." Veronica knew this in her mind, but still hearing it was helpful.

"Point taken. It's just sometimes it feels like they know things I don't and it shouldn't be that way. Sure, I was miserable a lot of the time right before, but I know it could have gotten better."

By lunch, she'd found a potential new friendship with the computer-extra-friendly Mac. Sitting outside eating, they spotted Duncan and, as Mac had to remind her of the name, Meg Manning.

"They've been hanging out a lot the last couple of days," Mac explained as she unwrapped her sandwich.

"My father told me about what happened with her."

"Yeah, that was kind of crazy. Of course you know Madison and those others just loved it."

"Madison Sinclair… Hasn't changed, has she?"

"I'd like to see the thing that could get her to." They shared a laugh over this.

When school was over, Veronica headed to her father's office to meet him. When she arrived, she could hear him talking to someone in the inner office. She stepped forth quietly, not to disturb them. The voices became clearer as she approached the reception desk.

"You know what it's like, you went through the nightmare I'm going through now. Now your daughter is back, she's safe. All I'm asking is for your help to make this happen for my family too." The man's voice was powerful; she could hear the confidence in him.

"I'm not making any promises, Mr. Hamilton, but I'll look into it."

"Thank you," the man replied. Sensing the encounter was ending, she moved to sit at the desk, pulling books from her bag, so not to appear as peeping. The picture of ease, her presence registered as she'd hoped. "You must be Veronica," the man greeted her. She nodded.

"This is Mr. Hamilton," Keith spoke up. "I'll be working a case for him."

"Got the best man there," she smiled, making Keith smile as well.

"I'll give you a call in the morning, okay?" he turned to Hamilton. The man gave them both a look before leaving.

"What's up?" Veronica asked, sitting back in her chair. "His daughter's missing?" He didn't go into detail, but nodded.

"How was your day?"

"Oh, you know, same old same old… by yesterday's standard at least."

"I'm almost done here. You mind hanging here for a bit, then we'll pick up dinner on the way home?"

"Sure," she nodded. Keith headed back into his office. After a moment, Veronica picked up the phone and dialed up Wallace.

"Hello?" he came on sounding tired.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"I'll live."

"Good to know. Does that mean you'll be back in school tomorrow?"

"Think so."

"That's good too. You better rest up then. I just wanted to check in. See you tomorrow." After hanging up with Wallace, she tried to focus on her homework. It was an escape, as weird as it could sound. Focusing on some algebra here and some history there gave her time to think about anything else but the nightmares of the last year.

Somehow, she would make it count. Everything she'd lived, everything she'd seen or heard, it would be put to use. There was no better focal point than putting an end to the lies and the unknown surrounding Lilly's death. She didn't know exactly how she'd manage that just yet, but she knew it would come to light eventually.

"Hey," her father pulled her out of the thought. "That's an interesting book you've got there, I've been calling you for five minutes."

"Sorry," she blinked.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah," she stood to pick up her things. They headed out, stopping at the diner as agreed. As they waited at the counter, their attention was drawn to the television set perched on a nearby stand.

"The former Sheriff has refused to make a statement, so the cause remains shrouded in mystery."

The two Mars shared a look. They had been waiting for this to happen, had expected it. What was left to be known was the effect it would have.

_KANE RESIDENCE_

"… when more details become available," the report ended. Duncan and Meg sat together, watching in silence. Meg looked to Duncan, trying to gauge his reaction to this. She'd been concerned for him ever since Veronica's return. It hadn't been a long time that they'd become close.

At first, they just hung out – friends… It hadn't taken much for her to feel more. Duncan had been someone just out of her reach, so she'd thought. Then the card frame happened. They started hanging out. Suddenly he wasn't as unattainable as she thought, and he even seemed to be returning the hints of feelings she had. She'd felt as though he'd been about to ask her out on an actual date.

Then Veronica returned and they remained on the level they'd been. She didn't want to think too much into it, but sometimes it couldn't be helped. She'd seen them when they were together. What if they…

"Meg?"

She blinked, turning to him. "Yes?"

He looked at her for what seemed like an eternity, like he was thinking through whatever he was going to say. He could say 'Sorry, but she's back and I want to make it work' or 'I'm over this' or a million other things that would have broken her heart. He did no such thing.

"We got these tickets to a play. I was wondering if you'd like to go… with me." It was unexpected, caught her by surprise, and it only made her smile brighter.

"I'd love to." He gave her a smile back. She sat back, breathing easier now.

_TWO DAYS LATER, ECHOLLS POOL HOUSE _

Logan sat in front of the television, giving all energy to the video game he was playing. The last few days, he'd given Veronica her space. Truth was he needed the space too. He needed to deal with what this meant in all that had and was happening in his life. What did it all mean, that she was back… It changed some things here and it changed everything there. He just needed to process it all, but it wasn't coming through as fast as he would hope for.

The sound of high heels clicking toward his location registered in his mind for a time before Lynn Echolls entered the pool house. "There you are. You should get to school."

"I'm going. Just give me an hour or two."

"Logan," she approached her son, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Please." He looked up at her. She smiled, putting a hand to the side of his head. Further points were made silently. He knew what she wanted to say without her having to pronounce the words.

"Okay." He stood, peck on the cheek, and headed out.

_LATER THAT DAY, NEPTUNE HIGH – MISS JAMES' OFFICE _

The two sat across from each other for a while. Neither spoke, both waited to see if the other would. Veronica could tell there was a slight unease in the woman. She'd learned through Wallace about her interviewing some students for a study she was making. Was she another test subject or was she the subject of the test? Finally, Miss James made the first move.

"Now, Veronica, I don't want you to worry about these meetings. It's more or less a formality."

"I know," Veronica nodded.

"Good," Miss James nodded.

"Just one thing before… I need to know this will stay private."

"Of course."

"Not to Clemmons, my father, or anyone else," she pressed.

"I promise." With a nod, Veronica sat up. "Okay. Let's begin." After another pause, they did. "I need you to explain to me first of all what this time away involved, to better understand all of this."

"This might take a while."

"No rush."

"I don't even fully get it myself."

"Take your time." Veronica took a breath, searching for words that could possibly express the last months.

"The day it all started… the first choice to leave wasn't my own. My mother took me out of school and started driving. When I'd regained consciousness, escaping became the only thing I could think about."

"It didn't stay that way?"

"No. Although it was never a desire, it was more of a necessity."

"How so?" She paused, unsure whether this next part could be shared safely without ending up a police case. Veronica looked up to Miss James, finding her waiting patiently.

"There was a threat on my life. She wanted to protect me, and… that meant leaving Neptune." Information processed, Miss James blinked and went on.

"So you agree to go."

"Yes. As much as I didn't want to leave my father and my whole life until then and as much as I hated the thought of being on the run… for safety's sake, I went. We settled down for the first time after moving regularly for a couple of weeks. Four times in total we settled in a new town under new names, new lives. We changed our appearances before settling anywhere. Our faces had been on the news at a time, so…"

"Okay," Miss James nodded, the foundation of Veronica's story slowly building itself. "Tell me about these aliases."

"There was Nina, then Eve, Laura… Sarah was the last. Every time we moved, I had to think of more than a name. I needed to invent her, re-invent myself. At first it was okay, it was fun… it was a distraction. But then… Every time I added a new person… it felt like I…" she stopped, a sharp breath coming in broken bursts.

"Like you weren't you?" Miss James tried to help.

"Like I was disappearing." There was another pause, the woman seeing the effect the topic had on the student.

"Would you like to stop? We can pick it up next week, give you more time to settle in."

"I…" Veronica hesitated.

"Like I said, I want you to take your time."

"Okay," Veronica nodded.

"See you next week?"

"Yeah," she stood.

"And Veronica?" She turned back. "If you ever want to talk?" She nodded, stepping back into the hall.

Each step was filled with deep breaths and wishes. She couldn't seem to put the past few months into a place of comfort, it seemed… No matter how strong it had made her, it didn't come without a price. True, she had found a resolve, but the flashes and hints of the past were never far behind. In high moments, there came memories of the lowest.

She had to admit these meetings were beginning to look appealing. She needed to let it out somehow, and Miss James seemed like a person she could confide in. She still didn't want it all out there – she fully expected some things to find their way out there. For now, she put her trust in the guidance counselor.

When she got home, her father was laid out on the couch, looking half asleep, worn out. "Well look at the ray of sunshine. What's up?" she smiled. He looked back at her.

"Hey, you're home early." He sat up as she went to the smaller couch.

"Meeting was short," she shrugged. "So what's going on?"

"It's nothing… The case with the missing girl…" he rubbed at his face.

"Did you find her?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Nothing for you to worry about. Hey, how about we order pizza?" he put on a happier face. She laughed.

"How about I make dinner?"

"That works too. Need some help?"

"No, no, no," she stood, "You rest, Mr. Detective." He smiled, resting back on the couch.

"Okay then." Veronica went to the refrigerator, pulling out some things. After a moment, she looked back toward her father.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah honey?" She closed the fridge door.

"Remember before I left, you and I had talked about me… helping out, at the office?" He looked up.

"Yeah?"

"Well… maybe I could do that now?"

"I… I don't know, Veronica… Some of these cases can get dangerous, and I wouldn't want to put you there."

"After the last year and a half, I'm not too concerned about that."

"I am. Sure, I'm your father – worry's part of the job…" He sighed. "I'll think about it, okay? How's that?" She smiled.

"One dinner coming up."

_A FEW DAYS LATER _

"It's crazy. Rooks is great, he wouldn't… would he?" Wallace shook his head as he and Veronica walked into the Sac 'n Pac after another day of school.

"Knowing the accuser, I'd tend to agree." Wallace stepped behind the counter.

"My mother asked about you this morning," he spoke after a moment.

"Should I be worried?"

"It's nothing," Wallace shrugged. "She's been hearing a lot of different things, about you and about your dad. She said to 'be careful'."

"As long as we can still hang out," she smiled and Wallace made a "you bet" face. Her gaze moved past him and he turned to see what had her attention. Through the window, he spotted it – Sheriff Lamb was approaching. Veronica looked like she was bracing herself. When the Sheriff walked in and spotted her, he stopped.

"Veronica Mars… heard you were back."

"Well, it has been over a week," she pointed out.

"Like the hair."

"Can I help you?" Wallace cut in, wanting to spare his friend further discomfort.

"No, it's all good. I can get it," he went on down the aisle.

"You okay?" Wallace asked. He'd heard in passing about some of the issues between the Mars family and Lamb.

"Yeah. Thanks." She hadn't run into him until then, but she knew it would happen eventually. She was glad to have it be out of the way now. A couple minutes went by and Lamb returned with his purchases. Veronica stepped aside to let him pay so he could leave… None of them spoke as Wallace rang up the items.

"6,87$"

"See you around," were Lamb's parting words. Once he was gone, Veronica seemed to breathe more easily.

"I have an idea. Why don't you guys come to dinner at our place some time. It'll give your mother a chance to see we're not so bad."

"I don't know if she'll want to, but I'll give it a shot," Wallace nodded.

_THE NEXT DAY – NEPTUNE HIGH _

"What's going on?" Mac asked Wallace, walking up to Veronica and him. Veronica was staring at something.

"I gave up trying to figure it out," Wallace shrugged.

"She's hiding something… she's lying…" Veronica spoke, looking back to them.

"Who?" asked Mac.

"Carrie Bishop." Before they could go on, they were joined by a shy-looking Meg.

"Uh, Veronica? Could we talk for a minute?"

"Sure," she responded after a second. "I'll be back," she told Wallace and Mac before following the girl toward a quiet spot.

"I've been meaning to come talk to you for a few days, I just never managed to," Meg started.

"I thought you might," Veronica nodded.

"I wasn't too sure how to say these things. First, I wanted to say if you ever needed anything… I figure I owe you guys… something, for what your father did."

"I don't want you to feel obligated…"

"I don't, it's just something I need to do."

"Okay," Veronica smiled.

"And second… about Duncan, and Duncan and me…"

"It's fine," she assured her.

"It's a little awkward," Meg laughed nervously.

"More than a little," Veronica agreed. "I'm glad he's got someone."

"Thanks," Meg smiled. "And finally… I've seen how odd things have been for you around here since you got back, some people ignoring you. I won't be one of them."

"Thank you," Veronica smiled back.

After lunch, Veronica headed toward her next class. She crossed paths with Logan in the process. They were heading to different places, so it was only a moment's glance, but it was enough to send the two of them through a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

They hadn't really talked since that first day back, and they knew why it was. Both of them had the state of things before her disappearance on their minds and they knew that, sooner or later, they would need to talk about it. The confrontation was a scary thought, but as they seemed to be on a different level now… it was inevitable.

Having the Rooks/Bishop case to think about was a good thing. Her father hadn't made up his mind yet as to her proposition, but it didn't mean she couldn't still act on this. Willingly crediting her masquerading time over the last year, she could see things in Carrie Bishop that didn't add up. Just this fact wasn't enough though. After class, she cornered Carrie. She stood by her story with determination.

In the process, she dropped in information Veronica made sure to retain. Doing a hint of research gave her proof that Carrie was indeed lying. Now bringing the truth to light would prove trickier – she'd have to get creative. She could definitely do that.

By the day after next, it was done. She hid the sort of giddy pride that came over her, especially as her father arrived home that night. She was in her room, doing homework. He walked in, throwing in a short hello before standing there quietly. She waited, wondering if he was going to scold or praise her.

"Here are the terms. If whatever the task is requires any extended period of work or a certain level of risk, I'll need you to check in at certain times. Don't let it disrupt your school work, and… keep doing whatever you're doing," he finished, then smiled. She was already grinning, and she laughed as she went to hug him.

"Thanks, Boss," she teased.

"Yeah," he hugged back.

_FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MISS JAMES' OFFICE _

She's been partly dreading, partly anxiously awaiting this meeting. She liked being able to unload some of these things pressing on her. And still some part of her tried to protect… this thing… her secrets, what she'd had to do, go through… It was hers, and she didn't think anyone was in a position to understand what it was like, big important credentials or not.

"So, Veronica, how was your second week?"

"Better," she nodded slowly. "The chatter's died down a bit, so that's good."

"It is," Miss James agreed. "Now, do you feel ready to continue what we started on last time?"

"Think so."

"Good. Just start where you want to start."

Veronica told her about the first part, before the first settling. She talked about the messages, the makeovers, the moves from motel to motel… Next she spoke about her time as Nina Healy – going to school, making friends… then having to leave it behind. She spoke about the Eve time – running into Cliff, working at the diner…

As paused after wrapping up that part, Miss James cut in. "We'll continue next week. We've made good progress," she nodded.

"Yeah," Veronica nodded back. She stood to leave.

"Veronica?" Miss James spoke before she'd gone. She paused. "I've been hearing about what you did with the Carrie Bishop situation… a lot of us have…" Veronica worried for a moment, but that went away as Miss James smiled. "Good job."

"Thanks," she nodded and left.

Walking out of the school, she felt like things were getting very… right. Maybe it was leftover paranoia, but now she worried about what might come up next.

**TBC**


	12. Family Affairs

**CHAPTER 12: FAMILY AFFAIRS**

_A FEW DAYS LATER_

"I don't know whether to be proud or a little freaked out…" Keith stood back from the desk.

"What?" Veronica asked, standing behind him.

"You're a little too good at this," he looked to her with a smirk. She laughed.

"So does that mean we can take off the, uh… P.I. training wheels?"

"We can loose the screws," he shrugged.

"All right, all right," she nodded. "Well, I should get going. See you tonight." She kissed his cheek, grabbed her bag, and left the office.

She was set to meet up with Wallace over at the mall. He wanted her help in looking for a birthday present for his mother, as he said. She could tell there was more to it. She'd recognized a great sense of concern in him, like he wanted to make sure she was okay and adjusting well. They'd only known each other a couple of weeks, but it was like it had been years sometimes. She was deeply grateful for it, for him.

"Okay. Shop 'til we drop time," she greeted him as she met him by the entrance.

"In case you haven't noticed, my job isn't exactly highly paid. We might have to drop early."

"Relax, I've got you covered," she smiled as they walked in. They went through three stores before finding what Wallace deemed as the perfect gift. With nearly an hour to spare, they stopped to take a breather and a snack.

"How's the training going?" Wallace asked.

"Apparently I'm a natural," she spoke dramatically.

"Speaking of which, looks like Red's left the building, uh?" he nodded to her head. She ran a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, feels nice," she admitted.

"I talked to my mom about dinner."

"And?" she looked up.

"It took a few tries, but she finally said yes."

"Great," Veronica smiled. "Night after tomorrow?" He nodded.

_THAT NIGHT, ECHOLLS HOME _

"Logan! Come down, dinner's ready!" Lynn called out from the bottom of the stairs before returning to the kitchen. Finding her husband still on the phone with his agent, she went to pick a wine bottle from the cellar.

Logan came into the dining room and sat waiting for his parents to join him, scratching at a spot on the empty plate. Lynn returned a moment later, coming to stand by the dinner table with the bottle in hand. They shared a look, neither quite sure what to say in the moment. Before they could decide on any word, Aaron walked in.

"Fill the glasses, sweetheart. I just got a new role."

"The new Harper project?" Lynn asked. Aaron nodded. "That's great!" Lynn went to hug him. Logan watched them for a second before clearing his throat.

"Let's not disrupt my appetite, shall we?" Aaron and Lynn pulled apart and dinner was served.

_NEXT DAY, NEPTUNE HIGH_

Veronica gathered up her things after class had ended, keeping an eye on Duncan so he wouldn't leave before she got her chance to talk to him. Maybe Celeste hadn't gotten back to her yet, Veronica hesitated about addressing certain issues with Duncan – mainly the possibility of their being half-siblings. She was almost positive he was aware of this, but still had no hard proof. She didn't know whether to approach the subject or not, but she had to try it… if only to see if it felt right.

"Duncan?" she walked up to him.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Hi," she smiled nervously. After that, it wasn't as easy to continue as she would have hoped. The subject overly present in her mind, it was only too easy for her thoughts to pool in frenzied concerns. Was he really her brother? Had she been dating her… She blinked. Looking up she saw Duncan was looking back at her, confused.

"I need to go help with the gym decoration. Do you need anything?" Another moment of pause later, she smiled and shook her head. "Okay, well… see you," he gave a nod and left.

Once he was gone, she sighed. Since her return, there were many people she felt a need to touch bases with, for several different reasons. Duncan was one of them. Reconnecting with her life was one thing, but she couldn't simply ignore the past in the process. Duncan had been a major part of her life. More than that, he'd helped her when she'd needed it, at the Calder…

And there were just so many questions desperately needing answers. When she'd first seen him, at his house, she was unable to form the words to start in on what they had to talk about. She still couldn't quite do it now, but she was getting closer. It would only be a matter of time now before it started to come together… she hoped.

That night, remembering Wallace's mom wasn't the only one with a birthday these days, Veronica picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Well if it isn't the birthday girl…" she grinned.

"Veronica?" asked the stunned Avery.

"Yeah," she was pleased to see her voice hadn't been forgotten despite the months since they'd spoken. They had been e-mailing each other at more or less frequent times, but not much was shared.

"I'm so glad you called. I've missed you, you know? We all have…"

"I miss you guys too, you have no idea."

"What's going on, how come you're calling? I mean, I know why, but how…"

"I'm home," she smiled. "I'm home with my father."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, it is," Veronica nodded to herself. "I'm gonna give you my number so you can call… whenever."

"Okay," Avery laughed happily.

"And we can figure something for a visit too."

"Even better. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks."

After hanging up with Avery, Veronica sat on her bed with a sigh. She hadn't called Margot yet. She'd e-mailed her, so she'd know she was safe. She couldn't get it together to call her though. She knew Margot must have felt abandoned after all this. She couldn't deal with it, so she couldn't call. But she'd help her somehow, soon, and it'd be better for them all.

_THE NEXT DAY – NEPTUNE HIGH_

"So your dad has you actually working cases?" Wallace asked as they sat at lunch.

"Little stuff for now. But I'm earning my keep, showing what I've got," she explained proudly.

"Check you out… Veronica Mars, Intrepid Girl Detective… in training," he extended his hand, then 'squeezed down' to a two-finger pinch hold on the last part. She made a face, snatching his chips. "Hey!" he protested.

"Fine, fine… I'll share," she 'relented'. She was distracted then by the sight of Logan walking by. Something looked off about him – more so than in other times. He looked distracted, like his body knew where he needed to be, but his mind was too busy, miles away…

"One of these days, you're gonna need to explain to me what the whole thing with you and Logan Echolls is." She looked back to him.

"What?"

"You think I haven't seen those hide-a-glances?" Veronica sighed, caught.

"It's complicated."

"I'm getting that. I'm not talking immediate." She paused, thought.

"Tonight. After dinner," she agreed.

When school ended, Veronica headed home to get ready. She really wanted this to go well. Wallace's friendship meant a lot to her, and having to tiptoe around Mrs. Fennel wasn't an alternative she cared for.

On another level, she hated that some people were given an impression of her family the way Wallace's mother had. Proving them wrong to her was a matter of some importance. She'd never get everyone to her side, and it wasn't what she sought. But lowering the numbers was good enough for her.

"Dad, they'll be here any minute," Veronica pointed out as she found him still looking through the cupboards.

"Breathe," he spoke without looking away from his search.

"I am," she insisted. There was a knock at the door and she startled.

"Sure you were," Keith looked at her.

"Shh!" she frowned, switching a smile on before opening the door. "Hey," she greeted Wallace before turning to Alicia. "Hello Mrs. Fennel."

"Hello," she nodded. "Thank you for the invitation."

"Thank you for accepting. This is my father," she turned to introduce him as he stepped up.

"Keith Mars, hi," they shook hands politely.

"Alicia Fennel," she introduced herself back.

"Come on in, have a seat," he indicated the living room. "Dinner's almost ready."

"Yes, it is," Alicia picked up on the scent. "Smells good."

"Oh, it is," Veronica nodded. The three of them moved to the living room as Keith returned to looking for whatever it was he seemed to have misplaced. "Where's your brother?" Veronica asked Wallace.

"We left him at the neighbor's." Hearing her father cursing under his breath, Veronica craned her neck with an amused smile.

"Problems?"

"Other than the fact that this place looks like a tornado ran through… no, not really." Stifling a laugh, she turned to the Fennels.

"Excuse me for a second?" They nodded and she got up. "I keep telling you to let me clean up there but you keep insisting there's order in the mess."

"Fine, I relent," he held his hands up in submission.

"Now… What are we looking for?"

"Corkscrew." Veronica nodded and, after a moment, opened a drawer. Poking from within other utensils, was the desired item.

"It's always the last place, uh?" she grinned.

"Don't look so smug," he shook his head, matching her grin. "Now go," he nodded to the living room.

"Mm mm," she went as asked. Soon, they were sitting to dinner.

"How does it feel to be back?" Alicia asked Veronica after a moment.

"Well, it was strange at first… I hadn't been here for a while, but with some things it was like I'd never left – I didn't forget. There were a few things that needed reminding, things I didn't know at all. I needed balance… I would never have found it without these two here," she nodded to her father and Wallace.

"And you met where exactly?" Alicia asked.

"Uh, the Sac-N-Pac," Veronica explained, looking to Wallace. He knew what she was trying to say. The details of their friendship's beginnings needed a little sidestepping. "He was really good to me even though we didn't know each other," she smiled. The dinner went on without incident. Veronica could sense Mrs. Fennel was assessing certain things. At dessert, Veronica and Wallace stood. "We're gonna take this to my room. We have a project, might as well take the opportunity." The excuse came naturally, knowing that some things couldn't be discussed with Keith and Alicia there.

Left to themselves, Keith and Alicia tried not to appear too awkward as they sat across from each other quietly. "They sure became quick friends," Keith broke the ice.

"Yes," Alicia agreed. After a moment, she continued. "I'm glad that he has a friend, our time here hasn't been easy. You do understand my apprehensions though, don't you?"

"Oh, I do," he nodded.

"You're okay," Alicia declared.

"Thank you. I appreciate that. More coffee?"

"Yes, please."

In Veronica's room, the two new friends sat on the ground together, leaning against the bed, plates of cake in their laps. Both knew there was a topic they were meant to discuss. One was hesitant, and the other wouldn't push. A few bites later, Veronica put her plate down and stood. Wallace watched as she grabbed a box on a shelf, started looking through it. She pulled out a tape, a handheld camera from a drawer, and came back to sit by him.

"I'm going to show you something. It won't explain it all, but it should start the picture for you."

"What is it?" he asked as she cued the tape and turned the screen for him to see.

"Everything we were, what we lost…" she spoke softly as the footage of the night of their last homecoming dance played out. She hadn't seen it for so long, but she didn't need to. The night was one of the best she ever had. She knew it by heart. When the tape ended, they were quiet. "Of course that's not the whole story. It's hard to explain… what happened after we lost Lilly… The investigation, the finger pointing… It got really out of control, and when I left… I left with a perception of things, people…"

"Logan," he nodded.

"Logan," she nodded as well. "He was my friend… then he really wasn't."

"And then?" Veronica stood again, retrieving her laptop and the memorial disc.

"When the Kanes unveiled the fountain for Lilly, I had someone film it for me. I saw this…" She played the part Cliff caught, featuring Logan. "Despite all that's happened, there are things I can see. Something was on his mind, not just about Lilly… There was nothing to make of it. Then I came back to Neptune. We ran into each other, and… I don't know what's going on, but there's something, no doubt about it."

There was more to it of course, but some things couldn't be shared like this… especially where she couldn't even express it herself. Wallace didn't press. She could tell he'd gotten the answers he'd been seeking, so Veronica let it be. The trust she had in Wallace was new, but it was strong.

"What do you think they're talking about out there?" he nodded toward the door.

"Assuming they're talking at all." After a moment, she stood and tiptoed to the door, cracking it open. What she saw made her turn to Wallace with a puzzled look on her face.

"What?" he whispered.

"They're laughing," she whispered back. Wallace stood and came to see for himself. After closing the door again, they were quiet for a moment before looking at each other. "You don't think they'd…" Veronica asked.

"I don't know, but the images in my head right now…" he shook his head.

"Stop it…" she winced, getting them now too. "This is… they're getting along."

"Yeah."

"Yeah," she nodded.

_THE NEXT MORNING, NEPTUNE HIGH_

Veronica and Wallace met up as they made their way into the building. Neither would speak at first, the musings of the previous night still very present in their minds. So, they ignored it.

"Ah, nothing like a school dance to send a girl diving for the ice cream."

"Not going?" Wallace asked.

"What for? No date, no way I'll get through the evening without having half a dozen drunken 09ers come up to me and slur 'Hey Mars, how was the kidnapping?'" she imitated the referred inebriated 09ers, then stood back up straight before anyone saw her act. Wallace laughed.

"How about we go? I mean, not as a date-date, a friend-date… Forget the others, they'll end up throwing up in the bushes while we're 'busting a move'," he air quoted. She grinned, took a moment.

"All right, you have yourself a deal," she held out her hand and he shook it. "So we have to get all decked out in 80s 'glam'…" Veronica mused. "I'm thinking something along the lines of Cyndi Lauper, or Molly Ringwald…" Wallace nodded. "You?"

"Not positive, but definitely some kind of no nonsense cop…"

"Totally…" she grinned.

"How's business?"

"Well, not a whole lot eventful these days. My dad's working a missing person's case I think, Russian woman looking for this guy. It's starting to look like a dead end."

"Hey Veronica." They looked up to find the speaker was Meg, accompanied by Duncan.

"Hi," she nodded to them both.

"Can we?" Meg indicated the free spaces at a nearby bench.

"Sure. Uh, excuse me?" she asked Wallace and he nodded. As she followed Meg, she could hear the boys talk.

"Wallace, right? You're on the basketball team," Duncan was asking.

"Yeah, hey."

Veronica and Meg sat. "So what's up?"

"Well, Duncan and I are going to the dance together, and I was wondering if you'd like to ride along. I mean, you're going, right?"

"As of a few minutes ago," she confirmed.

"So what do you think?" Veronica hesitated for three seconds at the most.

"I think… sure, why not?"

"Great! Oh, I should go, things to do before class and all. I just wanted to come about this first."

"Sure." After Meg and Duncan left, it started sinking in more, what she'd agreed to. Being in that car, with Duncan, would be a nightmare if she hadn't talked to him first. Which meant now she had a deadline, no more putting it off.

"What was that about?" Wallace asked.

"Well, we got a ride to the dance."

That night, after much picking up and hanging up, she dialed Duncan's cell number. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me. I need to talk to you about something. I'm not looking forward to running into your mother though, so...""

"I can be there in twenty minutes."

"Okay, I'll wait by the pool."

She went out, sitting by the pool with the almost glowing blue light hitting her face. After a few minutes she felt sort of hypnotized by the water's gentle waves. It made her calm, something she could definitely use. This could either go very right or very wrong. There was no middle ground she could envision. It took a moment for her to realize Duncan was now sitting at her side.

"Didn't want to bother you." She smiled. "What's going on, Veronica? Is something wrong?"

"Well… maybe not in the sense you're referring to, but…"

"Look, whatever it is, you can tell me." She looked to him.

"I want you to be honest with me, okay?" He nodded. "When you and I broke up…" she started and saw him flinch just a bit. "What provoked it?" He looked hesitant to keep his promise of honesty, the reason for which appeared in a look Veronica had grown familiar to for expressing it herself. "Was it because of something your mother told you? A secret?" He looked up. "My mother…"

"My father…" he continued.

"Yeah," she spoke quietly. Duncan exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

"I didn't want to believe it." Veronica closed her eyes. "I thought it was just my mom being my mom, you know? But it was solid… It was all I could do…" They were quiet for a moment.

"That day I came to your house… I told Celeste I wanted us to do a test, so we'd know for sure if it was true or not. She said she'd think about it, but she hasn't called back yet." He didn't need to know about the pictures and the threats.

"I can talk to her," Duncan spoke up.

"Thanks."

"Sure."

"Did Lilly know?" she found herself asking.

"Yeah. I wasn't going to tell her, but she got it out of me. How did you know?"

"My mother told me. I didn't want to believe it either." They took a moment to absorb all they'd heard. "So the dance… sounds okay," Veronica nodded.

"Yeah. Meg's really happy about all of us going together." She saw the smile on his face, and it made her smile too.

"You guys look really good together, happy."

"We are," he looked to her.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Telling the truth. I know the subject isn't easy."

"You're welcome."

_A COUPLE DAYS LATER, MISS JAMES' OFFICE_

"Veronica, come on in," Miss James stood to greet her. "How are you?"

"Good," she nodded.

"Did you have a good week?"

"Yeah. It's still not all back to normal, not that it really could, but… it's getting easier."

"All right, so last time, we left off after your second move, Eve. What came next?"

"Laura."

"Okay, go on."

"Well… at that point, I was starting to get depressed… I didn't want to do it anymore… but we still had to." She spoke about the next couple of months, the people she met. "It got better after a while. And then I… I found out some things… about why there was this threat, about my family… I understood then it was very unlikely I could ever go home, and I sort of gave up. I didn't want to, but there was no other way. We moved again, for good. That's when I became Sarah. And I really tried for a while. I gave in to this new persona… almost too easily. Still, I couldn't forget home… home wouldn't let itself be forgotten." She told Miss James about her time as Sarah Dean, leaving out anything about Lilly, Abel Koontz… "Then I knew I couldn't stay there. I had to go home, I had to deal with this thread and become myself again. I bought a bus ticket, and I came back."

"Your mother didn't come with you? She let you come all the way here on your own?" Veronica's silence was explanation enough. "She doesn't know you're here. Veronica…"

"It's better this way. If she knew what I was trying to do… At least right now she thinks I'm just trying to find myself. I spoke with her after I arrived, we've been e-mailing. I think she's starting to relax. She doesn't plead as much…" It was one part she had more trouble with. She never wanted to hurt her mother, it just came with the actions she'd taken. "Deep down somewhere she has to know where I went… but she hasn't done anything about it."

After their time was up, Miss James reminded Veronica that the next week's meeting would be the last mandatory one, but that if she needed more time, she would get it. Veronica honestly agreed she would if she needed it.

_THAT NIGHT_

Wallace arrived just as she'd finished preparing. They both had a laugh at the expense of each other's attire. Keith also couldn't help putting in a comment. Eventually, there was the honk from the car and they were off to meet Duncan and Meg.

"Watch out now, the fashion police is going to have a bumpy night," Meg smirked approvingly.

"They won't touch a single crimped hair on your heads," Wallace proclaimed, giving tough face. Duncan nodded with a similar resolve.

"You two should never ever dress up, it's making you all seriously insane," Veronica laughed. Veronica and Wallace got in the car, and they were off.

Throughout the drive, though she put up a brave front, they could all tell Veronica was nervous about going to the dance. After parking and stepping out of the car, they went for the gym, the music already reaching their ears long before.

"Hey," Wallace took Veronica's arm as they were approaching. She looked over. "Remember. No big deal." She smiled and nodded.

"No big," she confirmed. The evening was indeed 'no big', nothing overly eventful or out of her expectations. There were some comments, both direct and indirect. In each case, Veronica handled the situation as needed. "You know, this isn't bad at all. Having fun, getting some chances to give these guys a bit of the cool and unflappable front. It builds up on defense," she smirked.

"Well you're welcome."

For a while it was all dancing and general amusement. And then there was a new curve.

"Uh, Veronica?" Wallace suddenly stopped mid-dance.

"What?" He nodded behind her and she looked.

"Oh boy…" she sighed. What she, and pretty much everyone else was seeing, was Logan Echolls dancing loudly about dressed in not much, the basic 'Risky Business' ensemble. "He's drunk," Veronica spoke to Wallace without turning away.

"I see that."

"Do me a favor? Get Duncan's car keys, get the car over?"

"Yeah," he moved off right away as Veronica hurried to go snag Logan and pull him out into the hall.

"Hey, hey, let go of me, okay?" Logan protested, though he didn't so much fight back as he laughed his head off.

"What is the matter with you? Do you want to end up…" Logan interrupted her as he shrugged and tapped her shoulder.

"So glad you're back in town, Veronica. No one else manages to kill my buzz as effectively while still being so… cute about it. Really, your concern is touching. Thank you," he put a hand over his heart and smiled. "Do me a favor though, let me have this night?" he spoke as unsteadily as would be expected in his current state.

"You should go home, cool off."

"That's probably the one place where that's least likely to happen right now." It was that sentence that clued her in that there was more going on than she'd first estimated, though she still couldn't tell what it was.

"Why?" she asked. He didn't answer, instead standing up looking like a light bulb had just appeared over his head.

"You know what I'm in the mood for? Mm? Tacos… I'm not sure why…"

"Hey, is he okay?" they were joined by Duncan and Meg.

"DK!" Logan greeted him.

"Uh, yeah… Listen, do you think he could crash at your house tonight? He shouldn't go home like this," she explained, leaving out Logan's no-home request.

"Yeah, okay," Duncan agreed after checking with Meg. As the two guys headed off, Veronica and Meg were left in the hall.

"What a night…" Meg remarked.

"Yeah…" Soon, Wallace rejoined them. "Can you handle two fake dates for the price of one?" Veronica asked.

"I think I can wing it," he smirked, holding out both arms for her and Meg as they headed back into the gym.

_THE NEXT MORNING _

"_Dispatch, this is G12 requesting assistance for possible jumper on the Coronado Bridge. The abandoned vehicle is a red Dodge Viper, license plate ECHOLLS 2, blocking the northbound lane."_

"_Roger that, 12."_

**TBC**


	13. We All Fall Down

**CHAPTER 13: WE ALL FALL DOWN**

Veronica sat at her desk that night, staring at her computer screen, frozen. Determination had come to her that it was time she moved forward on one of the major reasons for her return – finding out the truth about Lilly's murder. Still that didn't really come so easily – she wasn't sure what to do first. Putting all the facts and 'facts' together was a logical starter. She did this, organizing them neatly in her computer files. It wouldn't be as complete as it should unless she could get a good long look at her father's files again.

With everything that had gone on since her return, they'd both sort of forgotten about it. She didn't want to have to think about some parts of it… what must have Lilly been thinking, feeling, moments before she died? Was she in pain? Was it quick? The image of her friend's dead body was still firmly in her mind, seared in and impossible to erase. A shudder later, she looked up.

"Dad?" she called out. A few seconds passed before Keith poked his head in.

"Yeah honey?"

"I, uh…" she stood. "I need to look at your files on Lilly's case again."

"Veronica, I don't know, I mean… We've been doing good up until now, and it's fine with the cases at the office, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea for you to be dealing with this case in particular," he shook his head.

"Dad… 'this case' was my best friend, and she's the one that matters the most. I know things you might not know about these people, these things…"

"It's dangerous," he held her face. "I lost you once and I barely survived it. I could never bear it if I lost you again." On the verge of tears like he was, Veronica hugged her father.

"It's okay, I know, I know… I couldn't lose you again either. But I lost Lilly too. I can't get her back. I need to do this. Please, Dad…" she looked up at him.

"We'll talk about it in the morning, okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. A moment later, the phone rang. "Hello?" Veronica answered.

"Put the news on."

"Wallace? What is it?" Her father gave her a look, but she ignored it.

"Just put the news on."

"Okay." She hung up and headed toward the living room, Keith on her trail.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. All he said was to put the news on. Better not be about us," she sighed as she pressed the 'power' button.

"… searching the waters for a body, but so far the searched have remained fruitless. Spokespeople for the Echolls family have not made a statement yet on this tragic event. Father and son have remained out of the cameras' sights since the news reached the media. Some sources site marital difficulties, tied to the attack on her husband and subsequent revelations of this past Christmas. We will bring you more details as they become available."

Veronica and Keith stood shell-shocked as they listened to the report. Veronica had been made aware in passing of the events from the Echolls' Christmas party, but still…

"Why would she do this?" she asked her father.

"It's hard to tell why any of them do…" he shook his head. Despite everything or perhaps because of it, she felt sorry for Logan, how he must have been feeling right then…

_THE NEXT MORNING, ECHOLLS HOME_

Logan stood in his room, taking any and all needed time to get ready before ever going out to cross paths with his father.

When the police came to their door, Aaron was the one to answer, the sounds of his cry drawing Logan out of his room. He stopped just out of their view, listening. His head was still pounding from the dance's aftermath, so naturally this didn't help any. He stood back to the wall, listening to his father eventually talk to the cops.

He didn't move. There existed no place for him to go that was right. He'd had Duncan drive him home in early morning despite increasing reservations about it. And then, standing between one direction that led to sitting in the quiet of his room – alone with his thoughts, and the other direction meaning face time with his father. In that moment, neither bore any appeal. Eventually he just sat there on the ground… waiting for anything to come along.

After a while, 'anything' turned out to be the inevitability of dealing with his father. Aaron came up to him slowly, standing three feet away. "You heard?" Aaron asked.

"I heard," Logan confirmed, willing all available control into refusing the witnessing of any tears.

"Do you… Are you…" Aaron searched for what could even be considered the right thing to say, but only came up short. "I'm here, whenever you're good to talk."

That was the last of it for the rest of the day. Logan didn't want to talk to him yet. He couldn't. If he did, yes there would be things Aaron Echolls fully deserved to hear about what he thought but there were also things he couldn't allow to be spoken. If he were to lose his temper, a likely event, then he could end up letting everything out, both the needed and the impossible. The latter meant the former wasn't worth it.

Yet now there he stood, having to head out there. He needed to go to school, as unbelievable as it may have been. As many likely knew at Neptune High, nothing could numb your mind quicker if you allowed it. How unbelievable had it felt to know he'd rather go to school where person after person would no doubt come up to him to express 'heartfelt condolences' than stay home with his own father?

Truthfully, he'd expected it. He knew one day he'd end up alone, his home lifeline gone, with the one person in his world that had ever succeeded in truly frightening him. Over the years, he'd learned a very important lesson, don't let him see it. He'd gotten so good at it, and sometimes he'd let himself believe he might have gotten over it. And every time, there came something to show him otherwise.

For once though, perfect timing stepped in to give him an out. As Logan stepped into the hall, he could hear his father talking. He found him leaning against the side of the door looking out to the pool, phone to his ear. Rather than letting the opportunity go to waste, Logan moved along to the front door, climbing into his car and driving off.

_LATER THAT DAY – NEPTUNE HIGH_

"Okay, listen up!" the teacher did her best to bring the class to attention. It took longer than she would have hoped, but hope and expectations hardly ever mingled here. "Alright, we are now in part three of this project here. I've given you all ample time and several reminders, so now… who has their picture?" About two thirds of the class raised their hands. "Right," the teacher nodded to herself. "Well lucky for you, your former teachers have been helpful in providing some, so…" she signaled for them to step up.

As that went on, the rest of the class resumed chatting. "Let me see," Veronica reached out for Wallace's picture. He snatched it up.

"Hold up. I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"You drive a hard bargain, Fennel," she squinted as they swapped pictures. "Wow, a bow tie Wallace? Honestly?" she teased.

"That was my mother's doing, not me. What was I going to do, I was six. You're not exactly one to talk, Pinky Pigtails," he waved the picture at her.

"It was a phase," she defended before turning to Mac, sitting behind Wallace. "What about you?" Veronica asked.

"I don't know, I was pretty much the same, minus some blue hair," she explained before producing her picture, stretching over to hand it to Veronica. The handoff was interrupted as Madison, sitting behind Veronica and next to Mac, snatched it away.

"Now this I gotta see," she smirked.

"Go for it," Mac shrugged, knowing like the others did that trying to get it back would only make things more problematic.

Pleased with herself, Madison sat back and looked at the picture. Her mouth had begun to open, ready for a retort, but as she got a good look at the picture of young Mac, her expression froze. Veronica, Wallace and Mac all shared a look, just as the teacher called them to attention once more. Veronica and Wallace switched back their pictures. Mac reached over and took her picture out of Madison's hand. She didn't even protest, her expression had barely changed.

At the end of class, all handed in the pictures and the work they'd done before heading off. "I have to go to the computer lab before next period, Mac explained before splitting off. Veronica and Wallace continued down the hall.

"Did you see Logan this morning?" Wallace asked her.

'No? He showed up?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Didn't talk to anyone, just walked in. I kind of understand it though. You do what you have to do to get through it." They got quiet for a minute.

Part of Veronica wanted to go to him then. Things between them had not been the same since her return. They were better… strange at times, but still better. But at the same time, there were those other things… those she wasn't ready for. The timing, as odd as it could sound, gave her an out. She hated having to think that way.

Luckily, she had something else to focus on. As she got out of her last class, her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey honey," she smiled at the sound of her father's voice.

"Hey Dad, what's going on?" she asked, fishing around in her bag for the keys to the LeBaron.

"If you want to take a look at those files, 'now' might be open." She grinned to herself.

"Thank you!" she breathed.

"Hurry before I change my mind," she could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'll be there as quick as legally possible," she nodded and hung up.

Soon after, she was sitting on the ground behind 'her desk' at Mars Investigations, moving with determination through the Kane case files. She picked up on certain things, but nothing to get her any kind of lead. As she continued pulling things out, the phone rang.

"Mars Investigations," Veronica answered.

"Hey, it's me," Mac responded.

"Hey, what's up?"

"You're the junior detective, you tell me. What does it mean when someone starts to get over curious about your life?"

"Well, there's the obvious 'he likes you,'" she smirked, taking a breathy tone on the last part.

"And if the someone is Madison Sinclair?" Veronica blinked, the smirk dropping.

"Then it's the less obvious 'what the hell?'"

"She's been at it all day, popping out of nowhere like a bitchy Jack-in-the-box, asking about my family, my parents," she listened to Mac explain, pulling another stack of files. In the process, one fell free.

"Well, can anyone ever really know what's going through her mind," Veronica crouched to grab the envelope. Her brow creased as she read the top of the envelope.

"Probably," Mac agreed.

"Okay, well do you want me to look into it?" Veronica opened the envelope, pulling out a stack of photographs.

"I don't know, it's probably nothing."

"Well, sit it out a bit, and if it goes…" her voice trailed as she saw what was on one of the pictures. Her mind rocketed to something she'd seen elsewhere – on the tapes from Action News.

"Veronica? Are you there?" Mac brought her back.

"Y-yeah. So, uh, just wait it out."

"Okay."

"I gotta go."

"Sure, see you tomorrow." They hung up and Veronica looked back to the picture.

It was from Lilly's bedroom, taken from the night of her murder. To the casual observer, there might not have been anything out of place. But it jumped out at Veronica like there was a neon arrow pointed at it – the shoes. She knew them, and she knew without a doubt that she'd seen them in the video from Action News.

Veronica looked to the left, the open door through which she could see her father at his desk. She looked back to the picture. Should she tell him? All in all, he'd been forthcoming with her. But still, what she wanted to do with this might not go over well with him. At the same time, she felt it was possible he'd cooperate.

In the end, the decision felt right. She got up, the picture clutched in her hands, and headed into her father's office. "Dad?" He looked up.

"Yeah?" She sighed and walked up to hand him the picture. He took it, looked at it. She could see he didn't understand what the point was.

"Remember when I got back, I told you I got in town a time before?" He nodded. "One of the things I did was to ask Wallace to get me the tapes of reports on Abel Koontz from the local news. On one of them, Lamb was showing evidence they'd found on Koontz' boat when they arrested him. That was, what, six months after Lilly died?"

"More or less," he confirmed. She nodded, stepping up again.

"One of these pieces of evidence was a pair of Lilly's shoes. I recognized them right away, because I had drawn on them… hearts." Keith looked down to the picture, observing the shoes sitting there, suddenly extremely visible to him. He sat back with realization. "Now aren't you glad you let me take a look?" He looked up at her.

'"I'm glad, that you told me about this."

"But…" she guessed. He stood and circled the desk to stand by her. "If you didn't want me doing this, why'd you let me look then? Was it that you didn't expect me to find anything?" He didn't move. "Let me give this a shot? If it gets too dangerous, I can take a step back."

"I know," he nodded.

"So what's the problem?"

"The last time we got too close for the Kanes' comfort, I lost you," he blurted out. She took a breath as Keith took a pause. "I know that you're careful, but these things have a way of taking you over without a warning. You see why it's hard to let you do these things?" She nodded.

"Hey, I'm not alone. I've got you. We can do this together." That got a smile out of him.

"I never pegged you as the teamwork gal."

"I have many hidden talents," she nodded.

"I can tell." She let the moment linger before forging on.

'I want to go visit Abel Koontz."

"Sure aren't wasting time wearing this in, are you?" he sighed with a partial smile.

"With this new information, maybe he'll talk to us." Keith thought for a moment.

"Go for it," he finally agreed. She leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you."

"Mm mm," he nodded. She returned to her desk, dialing Cliff's number as she gathered up the documents spread about and placed them back in the box.

"Cliff McCormack," he answered.

"Hey Cliffy," she spoke sweetly.

"Oh God, what do you want? You've got favor in your voice."

"Yeah, I have to work on that. I need your help to get on death row to talk to Abel Koontz."

"You P.I.s sure think big these days, don't you? You do know I don't represent him anymore?" She looked up as her father stepped out of his office.

"Hold on," she told Cliff.

"Just got a call on a bail jumper, I have to go," he explained. He grabbed the receiver from her, taking it to his ear. "Cliff, it's Keith. Do what you can, please?" he spoke looking to his daughter. She smiled. He handed her the phone back, waving before heading out.

"So…" she spoke back into the phone.

"Fine. Write him a request, I'll get it to him. After that, it's up to him."

"Thanks, I owe you."

"Yeah you do." She hung up, feeling suddenly at ease. It felt good to be helping.

Grabbing the file box, she returned it to the safe, closing the door. When she stood and turned around, she jumped in surprise to find she wasn't alone.

"Madison… What are you doing here?"

"I heard you're working… here," she looked around.

"Uh, yeah…" Veronica confirmed, curious to know where she was going with this.

"Right, well I'm hiring you."

"Excuse me?" Veronica had to control her voice to stop it from getting out of control.

"You snoop, I give you money, what's there to not understand?" she spoke as she sat in front of Veronica's desk.

"I know what 'hire' means, Madison. It's the part where you want to hire me that's a little harder to get past."

"It's simple really. I want you to prove my father cheated on my mother years ago," Madison spoke coolly, digging in her handbag.

"Uh?"

"Oh come on, I'm speaking English, aren't I?"

"I'm sorry, you're almost treating me like a person, it's unsettling," Veronica walked around the desk and sat, hands together on the desktop. "I'm assuming you have some kind of lead that's causing those suspicions?"

"Oh it's more than suspicions," she placed a picture in front of Veronica's hands.

"Uh…" she picked it up. "That's Mac's kid picture from class. Where did you get this?"

"I stole it," she spoke naturally before producing a second picture. "This is my little sister Lauren at the same age." Veronica very nearly did a double take.

"Woah, okay…" she looked back from one picture to the other. It could almost be the same person.

"See? It's not just me."

"So you're saying…"

"My father, her mother, don't make me draw you a picture."

"Yeah, that won't be necessary," Veronica cringed. Madison reached into her bag again, this time pulling out a few bills folded together and handing them to her.

"This is to get you started. The rest will come later." Madison stood. "Client/P.I. confidentiality?"

"Of course."

"Right." And with that, she left. It took a moment for Veronica to absorb what had just happened. Madison's hiring her was one thing. What this could potentially mean for Mac…

She put the pictures in her bag, closing up the office to head home. She'd deal with this the next day. This day had enough developments. She didn't think she could take more of them. And from the look of this case so far, there would be plenty of them.

_THE NEXT DAY – NEPTUNE HIGH_

Veronica walked down the hall, scanning the faces to make sure she wasn't approached without warning, caught off guard. So many people, with so many different issues… It was like the year before, on a different level. She saw Mac at her locker up ahead. When Mac saw Veronica, she closed the door and walked over.

"Hey, so this morning she was at it again, in the parking lot. It's freaky. Can you check it out?"

"Yeah, okay," Veronica nodded simply. She couldn't tell her she already knew the reason for Madison's quizzings, not without more information. And even then… How would Mac react to this? Madison may have been on the warpath, but Mac would be blindsided.

She headed into the newspaper class, a haven of sorts lately. She sat at one of the computers, logging on. A moment later, she saw Duncan sitting two computers away.

"Hey…" he greeted her.

"Hey. Have you talked to Logan since…" she let the question trail off.

"I tried, but he's not exactly…"

"Forthcoming?"

"He's not talking at all, to anyone. He just sits there."

"Like after Lilly…" she spoke quietly.

"Yeah," Duncan agreed.

"It never really stops, does it?"

"I know… there's all these things to remind you of them… A song on the radio, letters from people who don't know… A few months ago, I got pulled over for unpaid parking tickets. They weren't mine…"

"Lilly's?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "The day she died." Veronica looked over to him, then away. Could this be something she could use? The rest of the day seemed to go on forever.

When it finally ended, she went off to the Mars Investigations office. She'd forge on with the Madison/Mac case, hope for the best. She pulled out the envelope she'd found in her locker that day, information about Madison's family. And then there was Mac's information scribbled by her on top of the envelope. That had been something else.

At lunch, she'd sat across from Wallace. She stared at him until he finally looked up as well. "What?"

"I need something… something only possible for you to do, Office Aide guy," she gave a smile. The look on his face was priceless. He'd done it though. He'd gotten Mac's file for her, then returned it after she was done.

Logged on to her trusty 'Prying Eyez', something she'd simply been awed by, she put in the information for the Sinclairs, then the Mackenzies. She never would have expected she'd find something so fast. As she scrolled down the information for the Sinclairs, she found one item that stood out from the rest.

_05-12-1992 – Neptune Memorial Hospital - $1 million awarded in lawsuit._

She marked it down on a sheet split in two columns, in the Sinclair column. When she went on looking, in the Mackenzies' background, she once again found nothing but the picture of a regular family. And then…

_05-12-1992 – Neptune Memorial Hospital - $1 million awarded in lawsuit._

Veronica sat back, shutting her eyes for a moment. There was no way this was a coincidence. Something existed that connected these two families in a very real way. She didn't believe it was what Madison thought it to be; possibly it was worse. She had to see it through, so she picked up her things and went down to her car to head to the city library.

On the drive over, one thought ran on loop. 'What do I tell Mac?' When she got to the library, she was guided to the microfiche. She didn't know what to expect, or if she'd even find anything. But she did. It knocked the wind right out of her.

_Hospital takes hit on baby-swap case._

There it was, the reason why Mac looked so much like Lauren Sinclair… they were sisters, full blood sisters. She closed down the screen, got her things together and left. Part of her wished she'd refused to help Madison, then she wouldn't be in this position.

She drove home, where she was greeted by Backup at the door. She smiled, scratched him just as he liked. He was always there to cheer her up a bit.

"Are you okay?" her father asked, sitting in front of the television.

"Yeah," she nodded slowly. "I wanted to ask you… Would you be able to get a copy of an old parking ticket?"

"I should be, why? What'd you do?" he teased.

"Me? Nothing," she smirked. "Duncan told me today that Lilly got a ticket on the day she died." Keith thought for a moment.

It might not mean anything."

"Yeah, but what if it does?" After a point, he stood.

"I'll make a call."

"Thank you," she nodded before heading into her room.

The next day, Veronica headed to Cliff's office before school. She had prepared her letter for Koontz, now all she had to do was get it to Cliff. When he saw her, he stood.

"You're sure about this?"

"Are you going today?" she handed him the envelope.

"If all goes well, you should get a call by the end of the day," he confirmed. "There's no way to tell what Koontz will do with it."

"Only one way to find out," she spoke as she headed out.

At school, she took a moment to think things through. She needed to decide what to do with Mac and Madison and just stop hesitating already. When it came down to it, this was simple enough. She held this information, important facts that existed. If she knew, it was only fair that Mac be told. She was reasonable from what she knew of her, she could handle it well. Madison on the other hand…

She found Mac sitting outside, working on her laptop. "Hey…" Veronica walked up to her.

"Hi," she looked up smilingly. Veronica looked around, the people near them. This definitely wasn't the place.

"Can you come down to my father's office after school or something?"

"Uh sure, I should. What do you need?"

"It's a long story," she explained.

"Okay," Mac nodded.

"Good. Uh… around six? There's something I have to do first."

_THAT AFTERNOON – ECHOLLS HOME_

Logan wove through gathered masses of people, refusing them all any form of eye contact or conversation. As far as he was concerned, they didn't exist. Half of them were there for show, others for so-called 'affection' toward his mother.

It was all lies as far as he was concerned. If any of them in this place had real heartfelt feelings for the late Lynn Echolls, former Lynn Lester, they… they didn't exist, he held to that. No one here loved her and felt the loss the way he did.

Before they had joined the gathering, Aaron had taken his son aside. They were talking now, though it was mostly in a 'pass the milk' or 'which flowers?' capacity. This was their first talk at length.

"Logan…" he started, then paused for a moment. "Whatever happens out there, it's just a couple hours. Then it'll be over. Just… stick it out, alright?"

"Translation: Don't cause a scene. Got it, pops."

After making an appearance as required, he took some food from the catered tables and headed up to his room. He sat on his bed, back where he'd been sitting before he had to get up and get ready. He placed his plate at his left, slipping his other hand into his right pocket, taking out what he'd been turning over and over in his hand for most of the last few days – his grandfather's… his mother's old lighter. He stared at it for a while.

When he heard a knock at the door, he put it away again. The door opened and Duncan walked in. "Hey… you disappeared down there, I just wanted to make sure…"

"Not feeling the crowd, that's all," Logan spoke evenly. Duncan hesitated, started to leave. Logan didn't look up. "You want a sandwich?" Duncan stopped, looking back at him.

"Okay."

_MARS INVESTIGATIONS_

"I'll try to keep it brief. I have to get back here to meet Mac later," Veronica explained to her father as she hurried along, rechecking the list of visitation guidelines from the prison. She wasn't about to screw this up on a minor detail.

"Honey…" he started.

"I have to hurry," she grabbed her bag.

"Have something to show you."

"Can't this wait?"

"It's Lilly's parking ticket." She stopped, looked at him. For the first time, she noticed the serious look on his face. "Take a look at the time," he handed her the printout.

Her heart tugged at the sight of Lilly's smiling face on the pictures. Then her eyes fell on the time of issue. She looked up at her father.

"Do you realize what this means?" Keith asked her.

"Yeah…" she found her voice.

Shortly after, Veronica sat across from a thick window… and Abel Koontz. She pushed back any traces of a shiver, focusing instead on the task at hand. Before she could even get a word in, Koontz spoke up.

"Well, well… what a nice surprise… Saw you on the news a couple weeks ago. I had a feeling I might be seeing you." She didn't let his sneering smile get to her.

"I have some evidence… evidence that could clear you."

"Do you now?"

"Yeah," she reached into her bag.

"Now why would you want to 'clear' your friend's killer?"

"You didn't kill Lilly."

"Are you sure?"

"Why would you allow yourself to be put in jail for a crime you didn't commit. It doesn't make sense."

"Very little does, Veronica. For example, does it make sense a so-called detective wouldn't notice what was right under his nose. How is your mother, Veronica?"

She sat back, giving a signal of the finger to her side. Koontz looked confused for a moment. When Keith Mars came to stand behind his daughter, the two sharing a look, Koontz didn't show any sign of worry or anything of the sort.

"I've already done all the freaking out I'll do about that, so let's move on, shall we?" He looked like he was weighing through his options. Father and daughter Mars held strong, waiting.

"No…" Koontz shook his head, backing up and standing. "We're done. Guards!" After he left, Veronica looked up to her father.

"We tried…"

"We did more than that," he gave her a nod. "He's hiding something. From the look of things, he's scared we'll know," Keith explained as they pulled up to Mars Investigations.

"What are you thinking?"

"I don't know yet. But we'll find it," he assured her as they got out of the car.

"That works," she smiled. He gave her a sign of the head then. She looked back, finding Mac leaning against the wall by their door, her nose in a book. Keith gave his daughter an inquisitive look, and the one she gave back gave him all the information he needed.

"I'm gonna get us some dinner. Burgers?"

"Yeah," she smiled. He left, and Veronica approached Mac. "Hey." She jumped an inch. "Sorry."

"It's okay, I just get very 'locked in' when I'm reading." Veronica nodded, then indicated for her to follow. They went inside, sitting side by side on the couch, facing each other.

"I want you to know, before anything else, that I didn't say anything until now because it was a hard decision, nothing else."

"Okay?" Mac frowned, lost.

"A few days ago, Madison came here."

"Madison Sinclair?" Mac asked. Veronica nodded.

"She wanted me to work a case for her."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, I know," Veronica stood, going to the file cabinet, retrieving a file. "The assignment the other day, with the pictures… that's where it started."

"I'm not sure I get where you're going, but go on…"

"Madison stole your picture."

"What?"

"The reason she'd been following you? She was trying to understand this…" She handed Mac the two pictures. She watched as her eyes grew wide.

"W-who…" she held up the second picture.

"Lauren Sinclair. Mac… Madison believed that her father had an affair with your mother years ago, and she wanted me to prove or disprove this. Well I disproved it, but… in the process I found something else… bigger."

"What could be bigger than that?" Mac asked staying calm enough.

"The Sinclairs won a million-dollar lawsuit against Neptune Memorial in 92; so did your parents. You and Madison… you were sent home with the wrong families."

"You mean… switched?"

"Yeah…" Mac was quiet for a moment. "Are you okay?"

"I am, I just… you know, this explains a lot…" Veronica smiled. "Wow… so… I was going to be an 09er…"

"Look… this doesn't change anything."

"I know," she nodded. "They raised me… Thank you for telling me."

"Sure."

"Did you tell Madison?" Veronica shook her head. "What are you going to tell her?"

Veronica called Madison about an hour later, after she and her father got home. "Well?" Madison asked after Veronica had identified herself.

"Your father didn't cheat on your mother." That was the truth.

"What about those pictures? Lauren, she…"

"Coincidence." And that was the lie.

Later, Veronica went on working, entering the new information they had into her computer. Keith came into her room. "Working hard," he commented.

"Yeah," she kept going.

"I don't want you to go too crazy about this. Relax a bit." She paused, looked at him.

"Okay, I can do that… after I finish with this." Keith smiled.

"Hey, compromise," he came to kiss the top of her head. "Long day, I'm off to bed."

"Okay."

After finishing up her files, she put on her PJs and went to sit and watch television. She was relieved… that things were moving on Lilly's case, and that Mac had taken this news rather well. She could tell it would take a bit of time before she really dealt with it, but so far it was looking good.

Her thoughts were interrupted then, as she heard a light knock at the door. Veronica hesitated for a moment, but eventually she stood and padded on over to the door. Pulling the door open, the person she found there was definitely not who she'd expected, but who she honestly expect at this hour?

"Logan? What are you doing here?" There was this look on his face again. Lately that seemed to be his mode of communication. This look… it was a new one, and it took some time for her to understand what it was about. "Logan?" He blinked, and then he spoke.

"I need your help."

**TBC**


	14. A Question of Expertise

_Sorry it's been a while. First there was the whole process of compiling the whopping **Mars out of Neptune Guide & Timeline**. And then I'm moving in four days, so I had to pack and all... but I knew it'd been a while so I wanted to get a new chapter in before we moved and I'd be busy still :)_

_http/community. about theguide and timeline (linked above), it will be updated with the last chapter's info (for example, this chapter's info will be added when the next chapter will come up), and should be easy on the navigation. If you have any questions at all though, just ask :)_

_Now enough rambling, on with the chapter :D_

**CHAPTER 14: A QUESTION OF EXPERTISE**

_THE NEXT DAY – MISS JAMES' OFFICE _

"Well here we are… last meeting."

"Yeah," Veronica nodded.

"And how's everything?"

"Good," Veronica nodded again after a moment. "I mean, it's not like I've forgotten the last year, but I'm okay… things are easier than they were."

"You look like you've really settled back in."

"I guess I have," Veronica agreed.

"So then I'll be able to… give the 'all clear' to Vice-Principal Clemmons."

"That's good."

"Still working with your father?"

"I am."

"How's that going?"

_THE NIGHT BEFORE – MARS HOME_

"I need your help." Veronica took a moment. "I realize it's late, but I need you to come with me."

"What's going on?"

"Please Veronica, just…" he got agitated for a second, then regained control. It made Veronica startle.

"O-okay, alright. Just let me get dressed. Sit…" she stepped aside. He walked in, went to sit, lowering his head. "Okay…" she whispered, letting her breath out as she closed the door. She gave him a look as she walked by. What was going on in his mind?

She rushed along, pants, T-shirt, jacket, sneakers… No time for over dressing. On her way out, she stopped off in her father's room. "Dad…" she whispered. He stirred.

"What is it?" he asked groggily.

"I need to go somewhere. I'll call you if it takes too long."

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing for you to worry about," she assured him.

"Okay…" She walked back out to the living room. Logan hadn't moved.

"Let's go." He stood and they filed out.

Getting into Logan's car, neither of them spoke. It remained this way for a time as they drove. Eventually though she couldn't help asking.

"Logan, what is this about?" Two seconds went by.

"It's better you wait and see," was all he said. She looked out the window, trying to situate herself. They drove for a few minutes more, eventually pulling into a hotel parking lot.

"Okay, now I really need an explanation."

"Relax, it's not what you think." They got out of the car, walked into the hotel. They got on the elevator up to the seventh floor, up to the door of room 705.

"Now are you going to tell what's..." Her voice caught in her throat as he opened the door and she walked in. She froze.

"Hello Veronica," she stood.

"Oh my God… Mrs. Echolls? But… how…"

"Told you," Logan spoke, walking past her after closing up the door again.

"Would you excuse me?" she told Lynn with a finger in the air. "Logan?" she went into one of the suite's adjacent rooms. He followed. After he'd closed the door and turned to her, she gave a bit of a shove/smack to his shoulder. "Have you lost it, what the hell is going on?"

"Woah, calm down!" he protested.

"Logan, your dead mother is standing in the other room, excuse me if I'm not exactly cool and collected."

"It was necessary."

"What are you talking about?"

_A FEW WEEKS AGO – NEPTUNE HIGH _

As he watched his mother storm off after his father had threatened her in response to recent articles tied to the Christmas attack, Logan's mind went into high speed. Something needed to be done. He'd lost all but one of the people he ever cared about in one way or another. If nothing changed, he'd lose her too. He felt it.

"Excuse me," he spoke to his father before dashing off to catch up with his mother. He got out there just as she was closing the door to her car. "Wait, Mom, hold on," he ran up, pulling the door open.

"Logan…"

"Just listen for a second, okay?"

"Logan, I can't do this anymore," she spoke, on the verge of tears.

"I know, I know," he took her hand. "We'll make it stop." She looked over at him.

"How?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll come up with something. Just have to stick it out a while longer." She nodded, hugged her son.

_'PRESENT' – BACK AT THE HOTEL _

"We went back. For a couple days, we still didn't know what to do. Then you came back…"

"What…"

"When you told me about what you'd done, what you'd been through, that's when I got the idea."

"Logan…"

"We'd fake her death, then we'd get her out."

"And suddenly I'm part of the 'we'."

"You were gone nearly a year, and no one found you."

"No one was looking for me," she pointed out.

"Well no one's looking for her either, she's 'dead'." He had a point.

"It's still different. People out there know her face."

"Doesn't have to be an issue if we work it right." She sighed, looked at him as she turned and paced about for a moment. Finally, she turned back to him.

"I don't like it."

"Will you help?"

_PRESENT, FRIDAY AFTERNOON_

Veronica walked out of Neptune High. She'd told Logan to keep her where she was through another day. Being covert and skipping school didn't mix well at all. Still, this was a lot to handle, more than before. All she'd done for her father so far, what she'd worked on, didn't involve anything like what Logan's request was implicating. She had to believe she could do this. Doubt was out of the question.

The part that was problematic to Veronica for the moment was lying to her father, keeping secrets. When it came to Lilly's case, she had been an open book to Keith Mars. He knew all and he helped her along. She had him, she had Wallace…

But now, by Logan's demand, neither could be involved. She knew it was necessary, she knew the risks… it didn't make it any easier though. Her willingness to help him as such, that part remained veiled in constant confusion. Despite continued questionings, by Wallace, by herself… she didn't really know what it was, she just did it. It felt right.

Maybe that was it, or at least a part of it. She wasn't too sure what it was all about, not in words… She'd told him – now she was getting to see part of it. Was it really enough to forget what he'd put her through? Not really. That was why this whole situation had her puzzled.

She got home soon after, needing to put in some face time with her father. The key was not to appear guilty. When she walked in though, the only one there to greet her – however happy he was – was Backup.

"Hi," she smiled, crouching to scratch him. He approved. She found a message on the machine.

"Hey sweetheart, sorry I… ow!" she heard something crashing on the other end. "Sorry I wasn't there, had to get back into the office… and now I've killed a plant. Listen, we can still do movie night. Come on by and we'll go as soon as I'm done. And honey? Bring a mop and bucket?"

She laughed, shaking her head. He'd been increasingly cheerful over the weeks. It made her happy, but now sad that she had to lie to him. So she got in her car and headed toward Mars Investigations. All these things were happening so fast. She hadn't been back very long if compared to the amount of time where she was gone.

At the same time though, all these things bombarded at her were sort of helping. She hadn't felt like herself this much since before her mother took her away. No – she hadn't felt this much like herself since before Lilly was killed. It wasn't a total heal over of course – it couldn't be, not until Lilly's killer was caught… or really ever.

She knew it wasn't really her fault, but she still felt like she should have been doing more, earlier. The run took over her life, forced her to put so much aside. She wouldn't do that again. She'd live her life with all she had to give… as cliched as it might have sounded. It was all true.

She'd felt it to a degree after Lilly's death… Never know what you have until it's taken from you. It was even worse as the run started. How many times she'd be in a situation and a reflex would propose an action, but then she'd remember… She couldn't do that anymore, could she? She wasn't in Neptune anymore, and she wasn't Veronica Mars.

Now that she was home, allowed to be herself, she didn't want to be left wanting. Her goals were that much more important now. One goal was finding Lilly's killer once and for all – she was filled with a great amount of confidence.

When she got to the office, her father gestured for her to give him the mop and bucket. She watched as he cleaned the floor where he'd dropped the plant.

"When did you turn into a klutz?" she asked, standing by.

"It's not nice to mock your elders," he looked back at her, gesturing with the mop handle in his hand.

"Yeah, well all I can say is I hope it's not genetic."

The statement forced the reminder of her still existing paternity problem to echo in her mind, and she hurried to bury it again.

"Why'd you come back?" she asked then.

"New development on a case."

"What is it?"

"Uh…" he hesitated as she came to help him on the plant pick-up.

"National secrets… nothing you need to get involved in."

"Why not? I have the hometown pride, I care." He gave her a look. "Go Pirates?" she tried weakly.

"Go homework. I won't be long."

"Fine," she sighed in 'resignation', getting up to sit at her desk. She kind of loved these moments… her father working away in his office as she worked at her desk. It felt normal, but not too normal. It was enough to give her what she was lacking – for those moments – without having to forget a thing. It was never about forgetting, just moving on.

She tried to work on her science review, but her laptop beckoned. Her files on the case were starting to build. Her grasp on things had greatly changed in recent weeks. She clicked through the info, scanning it with her eyes – she already knew it by heart.

After a moment, she felt her father's presence, looking over her shoulder. "That doesn't look like science," he tapped the abandoned book at her side. "If it is, then I'm a genius of the scientific world." She smiled up at him.

"Just checking what I have… The Kanes had alibis, but we know those are wrong. The time of death is wrong… There's two things I'd love to get my hands on."

"And when you say 'I'…"

"If for some reason you should happen to find yourself in the evidence room…" she shrugged innocently, turning back to the screen. "You interrogated Jake and Celeste, right?" He nodded.

"If you're looking to get the tapes, I can tell you already… All you'll find is that their stories don't check, don't match. You'd think if they were going to lie, they'd at least check their stories, make sure they didn't spell it out for us like this."

"Okay…" Veronica paused. "There was a reward for information to get Lilly's killer. Koontz was fingered, but you said the reward was never claimed. I was thinking… if we could get our hands on that call that sent them to Koontz, we could find out who was the caller." Keith was quiet a moment.

"If I should find myself there…" Veronica smiled.

"Coincidence is a beautiful thing."

"And you're in need of some quality family time. Let's get out of here, kid."

"Yes, pops," she smirked, standing to pick up her things.

_THAT NIGHT, MACKENZIE HOME_

"Cindy, sweetheart? Dinner's ready," Mac heard her mother's voice from the hall outside her bedroom door.

"Be there in a minute…" she replied.

Her mother… Madison's mother, but her mother… The distinction was both simple and the most puzzling thing ever. Sam and Natalie Mackenzie had raised her, but the Sinclairs had made her, given her life. It was one thing to think you might be adopted, but this… She was born a Sinclair, and would have been raised one if not for an error in the hospital.

What would she have been, who… Sinc? No, she would have been an 09er. Would she have been stuck-up, mean, with a perpetual sense of entitlement? Or would she still have been herself?

Nature, nurture…

What kind of people were the Sinclairs? Did Madison suffer the nurturing effects of parents just like her, or was it simply her nature? Would her parents have done better with her?

Her parents… that was what they were, no matter what. Still, she couldn't leave it alone. She had to at least know… something, anything. She didn't even know their names, they were just "the Sinclairs"… "Madison's parents"… "her birth parents"…

_THE NEXT MORNING – ROOM 705_

Veronica had driven over to the hotel, as agreed two nights before. Logan had given her a keycard so she didn't have to wait to be let in and risk being seen more than she should. When she got in, it was quiet.

"Hello?" she spoke. A moment later, Lynn Echolls walked out from a side room. Veronica jumped a bit. "I'm starting to get why people get that look when they see me now," she smiled shyly.

"I'm sorry we had to drag you into this," Lynn spoke as she came up closer.

"Don't worry about it. Uh, where's Logan?"

"He'll be here soon." The two of them sat, waiting. After the silence's awkwardness got to be too much, Veronica turned to Lynn.

"Look, I… I don't really know what's going on…"

"I had to get out of there. It was killing me to stay… it nearly killed me until Logan suggested all of this."

"But he's not leaving with you," Veronica pointed out.

"He shouldn't have to give up his whole life for me…" Lynn was on the verge of tears. Veronica looked down, taking the woman's hand. She was starting to get why Logan had called her in to this.

"He really loves you," she gave Lynn an encouraging smile. "I'll do my best to help you," Veronica promised.

"Thank you," Lynn squeezed her hands with a smile. There was another long pause. "You know, he's really missed you, I think." She looked up, the statement shocking her.

Before she could ask for a clarification though, they heard the sound of an accepted card swipe. They tensed a moment until they saw it was Logan.

"Sorry I'm late. Had to get away without suspicion. You two been catching up?" he asked, looking to each of them.

"Something like that," Veronica blinked.

Logan and Lynn started explaining things to her. She could tell Logan was holding was holding back on some parts, and Lynn didn't push on those. What she did find out was this: Aaron Echolls may have lived in the spotlight for years now, but the public did not know the true man, only the actor. He was abusive to his wife, controlling. They glossed along past the topic, but it didn't take much for Veronica to understand – what Logan didn't want to say, why he didn't want to go home after the dance… the horrors Lynn had suffered at the hands of the handsome action star, Logan had suffered them too. She moved right along for his sake.

"First things first, you should move somewhere else. Until you can get out of town, low profile is key. This place is too risky." They agreed.

The next few steps would have to wait until she was safely hidden away. Veronica felt relatively confident that she could do this right. She didn't want to rush things though.

"Need a ride?" Logan asked as she got ready to leave an hour later. She looked to him.

"I'm okay. Either way, it's probably better we don't draw any suspicions."

"Yeah, we're not really 'buddy buddy', are we?" Logan spoke quietly.

"I'll try to find something to give us a reason for meeting," she nodded.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

She left the hotel, careful again to remain covert. For now, she couldn't do a thing about the Echolls case, so she headed over to meet Wallace and Mac.

_MONDAY AFTERNOON – NEPTUNE HIGH_

"Sorry, didn't see you," Veronica apologized to the student she bumped into on her way into the administration office. He didn't pause, kept on walking. "Okay…" Veronica spoke to herself as she got through the door. "Hey," she greeted Wallace. He nodded in reply, focused on a stack of papers. "How's aide life treating you?"

"Some days better than others," he shrugged.

"Well, if you ever need a hand…"

"Yeah, don't see that happening, Sneaky."

"Everyone's so suspicious," she shook her head.

"Veronica?" She and Wallace both looked up to find Miss James had been the one to call her name.

"Hello…"

"Can I talk to you?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Uh, sure," she nodded. "Don't wear yourself out," she told Wallace before following Miss James into her office. "What's going on?" Veronica asked the counselor as she closed the door.

"I realize this isn't regular procedure, but in this case…" she hesitated.

"Is there a problem?"

"I have a student who was sent in to see me. Something's going on with him, and if I involve anyone through 'proper channels', I know he'll shut down. I was hoping you could give a shot at talking to him, get him more willing to open up."

"How serious are we talking?"

"I think he may have gotten himself in some danger."

"Well if that's the case, then why not go to…"

"If he goes to Lamb, he won't listen, and that's if we can even get him to go. You're the closest… middle ground I could think of."

"Alright. I can talk to him," Veronica eventually nodded.

"Thank you," Miss James smiled.

"So who is he?" Miss James picked up a file from her desk, taking pen and paper to scribble down some information.

"His name is Cale Endecott, he's a sophomore." The name was familiar.

"Mrs. Endecott's son?" She was an algebra teacher at Neptune High until she was killed in a car crash a few months before Lilly was killed.

"That's right," Miss James confirmed as she handed the paper to Veronica. She remembered then – the kid she'd bumped into in the hall, that was him. She'd almost forgotten about him.

"I'll see what I can do."

_NEXT MORNING_

She'd been swamped with other obligations so it wasn't until now that Veronica could do some research on Cale Endecott. She settled in the computer lab, finding Mac there. She sat across from her.

"Hey, what are you up to?"

"Just research for English," Mac explained, glad that Veronica's position kept her from seeing what she was really up to. She'd debated looking up the Sinclairs for a few days before finally giving in. she didn't know how Veronica would react, so she preferred keeping it to herself.

"Right, I should get started on that," Veronica nodded.

Sending the search on Cale, she naturally got some hits on the accident that claimed his mother's life. Other than that, the search didn't bring many results. This was someone who'd lived under the radar. Nothing was out there to tell her what she could use as a way in, no way to try to figure out who Cale Endecott was, or what Miss James might be so concerned about. So that redirected her efforts toward school. She'd have to ask Wallace for his schedule, unless…

"Hey Mac?" She looked up, clicking the window shut instinctively.

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"English?"

"Computer."

"Homework?"

"Covert."

"Oh," she stood, walking around to sit at Veronica's side. She had closed out her own windows.

"Can you get me into the school's system?" Mac gave her a look. "Right, of course."

"What do you need?" Mac asked, commandeering the keyboard.

"Class schedule." Mac nodded and got typing and clicking.

"You're in, and if you're caught you're on your own. Good luck," Mac stood to head out.

"Thanks," Veronica smiled.

Once she'd saved Cale's schedule, she hurried to get to class. She had something to do before it started. A half hour later, the class was in session.

"Do you think the 'I already read it and got tested for it while my mother had us on the run' excuse might get me out of this test?" Veronica Wallace and Meg, who both sat nearby.

"That true?" Meg questioned. Veronica paused.

"It's half true…"

"Take the test," Wallace nodded.

"Okay, listen up," the teacher drew them back. "Before we go on, I've got your partner assignments for the next project."

Veronica sat up. Wallace found himself partnered with Dick Casablancas, something that didn't look to sit well with either of the two. Meg found herself with Duncan, which went over a lot better. And then…

"Mars, Echolls."

Veronica sat back. Mission accomplished. She looked to the back, where Logan sat. He gave her a salute, and she returned it, neither betraying that this was just what they needed.

When the day was over, Logan invited Veronica over to work on the assignment. Naturally, they'd have to focus on that as well, but it wasn't their primary goal. That honor went to the task of checking on Aaron, seeing where he stood mentally, and whether he suspected anything at all.

"What are you gonna do exactly?" Logan asked as they pulled through the front gates.

"Just leave it to me," she nodded.

Inwardly, she wasn't as brave. Aaron Echolls had been a figure she knew from the movies when she was younger. Then he was a man, a friend's father, as she had become friends with Logan. Evidently, what she thought she knew and what was reality were two things. Now that she knew, it would be different to have to face him. She tried to think back to previous encounters, if there were signs. If there were, they didn't come from him. But there were moments, being with Logan, when Aaron came around… he'd be different, just a little bit.

"Alright, here we go," Logan spoke as they got out of the car. "He's not here," he announced as they paused inside the house. Veronica nodded. "He'll be back soon."

"How's he been dealing with all this?"

"Like the poor grieving widower. Proclaims he's a changed man, faced with the truth of his life in light of his recent tragedy," Logan narrated, eyes staring out in the distance. This whole thing wasn't without its effects on him, and he was doing his best to keep it together. Veronica didn't push him on it.

Before she could go on, they heard the car pull up outside. "Come in the kitchen," she instructed.

When Aaron walked in, Logan was filling two glasses of water. "Veronica…" he spoke, surprised.

"Hello Mr. Echolls," she nodded.

"Look at you… I heard you were back. Are you okay?" he asked with concern. She could almost feel Logan trying to keep a blank face at her side.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. I… I wanted to tell you how sorry I was, hearing about Mrs. Echolls." Aaron nodded solemnly.

"Thank you Veronica."

"We should go get started, I need to get home before dinner," Veronica turned to Logan after a moment. "It was nice seeing you again Mr. Echolls," she gave a smile.

"Same to you Veronica," he nodded.

"We can work in the pool house," Logan told Veronica. They picked up their glasses and went quietly. Once there, they sat and pulled out their books, setting up to appear to be working, in case Aaron looked in on them. "That was it?" Logan asked her.

"I didn't want to appear to probe. The goal is not to draw attention to ourselves, remember?"

"Right."

"So far though… he looks normal. Then again, I guess you never know with him." Logan nodded. "He hasn't said anything like he might have doubts?"

"Not that I can think of. I haven't been very willing to strike up a conversation though, so who knows." He got quiet again, and Veronica wasn't sure what to say.

"Well… let's get started," she finally indicated the books.

_NEXT MORNING, NEPTUNE HIGH_

She'd stayed at Logan's for almost two hours. In that time, a trip for snacks and a bid farewell had gotten her to cross paths with Aaron. They established what they had hoped for. Aaron was none the wiser. Logan was set to come by Mars Investigations the following day at lunch for the next step. Keith was out of town, so they didn't have to worry.

For the moment though, she had another task at hand – a first encounter with Cale Endecott. According to his schedule, he had history in first period. Miss James had promised her a tardy slip should this take too long. She hurried to go stand near the classroom. She kept her eyes discreetly roaming, looking for Cale.

This was another thing she'd been keeping to herself, although in this case it wasn't anything she had to feel bad about. This could well be nothing at all. Then she saw Cale coming down the hall. He had that look she'd mastered herself as well – the auto-pilot disturbance, with an extra of jumpy. He looked a bit worn, sleepless… She readied herself for the approach, and…

"Veronica?" She looked over and saw Mac stopping at her side.

"H-hey." She looked back quickly, but Cale was gone. "What's up?" she turned back to Mac trying not to sound too disappointed.

"I… was wondering if you might need anything."

She'd wanted to ask Veronica to come with her, backup courage for what she hoped to accomplish, but then she thought against it. She had to do this on her own.

"I'm good for now," Veronica shook her head briefly. She looked preoccupied too, so maybe they were better off.

"Okay. See you in class," Mac spoke before ducking out. After class, she got in her car and drove.

She could do this. She could go to the Sinclairs' home, meet her birth parents. She didn't have to tell them who she was. She just wanted to see them, see what kind of people they were. It was simple… drive, park, knock, talk, leave…

She got to 'park' and was on her way to 'knock' when she saw the car drive up and she hid before they could see her. She watched through the bushes as a girl got out from the back… Lauren, her sister. She really did look like her. She was smiling, a genuine smile – not the mock smile. From the front seat, she saw a woman emerge… her mother. She could tell just by looking at her, this woman didn't have a mean bone in her.

She had to go before they saw her. Crawling behind bushes, she checked now and then – all clear. She was on the street before a car honk made her jump. Her head snapped back to the Sinclair driveway. The girl was gone, but the woman looked right at her. Mac hurried to her car and drove off.

Clearly, the plan had not been thought through well enough. She wouldn't go back. She had what she needed to know… She could live with that.

_NEXT DAY, NEPTUNE HIGH_

In her second attempt, Veronica knew she needed a different maneuver. She may have excelled in certain investigative areas, but this one wasn't without its issues. She needed him to see he could trust her. He couldn't know what she was attempting to achieve, that much she was sure of. Among the cards she could play, the 'girl' card seemed a good place to start, but alone it could be hard to recover from if he didn't take the bait. So…

"Cale Endecott?" she stopped him as he got out of class. He didn't look particularly willing to stick around.

"What?"

"Hi, I'm…"

"Veronica Mars. I know, you were on the news."

"Right," she smiled shyly. This had been a bit of a problem in some activities of an investigative nature. "Well I… I was told you might need some help with… algebra?" Sneaking a look at his grades was proving beneficial. He looked to be considering his options.

"I don't need help. I'll manage. Excuse me." He shuffled off. She let him. No need to appear too insistent. At least they'd made contact. She'd give it another go in afternoon.

When the lunch hour came around, she left school for Mars Investigations. Logan was waiting outside. "Gotta admire punctuality," she got out of her car.

"I took a shortcut," he followed her into the building.

"Do you have that list I told you about?" He pulled a folded sheet from his back pocket and handed it to her.

"That's everything."

"Okay," she sat behind her desk. After a while, sensing he wasn't moving, she looked up. He was looking at her.

"Thanks… for doing all this."

"Sure," she slowly nodded.

Silence settled in once more… the better to hear the door open downstairs, steps coming up, then joined by a hum.

"Perfect," Veronica gasped under her breath as she stood, moving to the window. "Quick, go out there, get down to the street, I'll meet you in a minute," she whispered, grabbing his hand to push him out there.

"What…"

"It's my dad. If you don't want him to know anything, you need to go," she spoke hurriedly. He got out, starting his climb down.

Perched to look as he went, Veronica felt like she was betraying her father more and more, and she hated it. But then Logan looked back up at her. He looked into her eyes, and she looked into his – she had to go on, all sacrifices in.

"Now I know you're trying to prove you can do this job, but you don't need to put in overtime," Keith's voice made her jump, and she very nearly bumped her head on the open window.

"Hey," she turned to face him. "I thought you were coming back tonight."

"I got an earlier flight. So what are you doing here?"

"Couldn't concentrate at school, figured I'd… I need to go back, see you tonight?" she grabbed her things, kissing his cheek as she passed him.

"Dinner'll be on the table. There could be pasta."

"Perfect," she smiled back at him before taking to the stairs. She got to the sidewalk, looked around… Logan had left. "Great…" she sighed.

_THAT AFTERNOON, OUTSIDE THE MACKENZIE HOME_

Mac got out of her car, finding part of the lawn torn up. "Ryan…" she muttered. She paused then as she spotted someone approaching.

"Hi… Cindy?" She froze. It was Ellen Sinclair.

"Yeah, well… People call me Mac," she blinked.

"Mac…" she repeated.

"Yeah… Hi," she smiled weakly.

"Hi," the woman smiled back. "You… you came by the other day, I saw you… Were you looking for Madison?"

She wasn't sure what to say. After a moment, she shook her head. Mrs. Sinclair took this, and the implications made evidence by the look in Mac's eyes, pondered it a minute.

"How much do you know?"

"Not a lot. Switched at birth, there was a settlement, and nothing changed." Realizing she might have sounded resentful, she went on. "It's not bad. I mean… they love me, and I love them. That doesn't change. I just wonder sometimes."

"We felt like that too," Mrs. Sinclair nodded, stepping forward a little. "It'd been four years, we couldn't give Madison up, and neither could the Mackenzies… your parents… give you up."

"I know," Mac nodded.

'It doesn't mean it was easy… knowing our daughters were out there, and we couldn't do a thing…" she spoke tearfully. "Does she know?" she continued after a minute, and Mac knew who she meant.

"No," she shook her head.

"Okay," Mrs. Sinclair nodded. Hesitation fading, Mac placed a hand over her birth mother's forearm.

"I'm okay, you know? My life here…" Mrs. Sinclair smiled, moving her arm up so that Mac was now holding her hand.

"I see that."

"If you ever wanted to talk though… It'd be nice."

"We can do that," she continued to smile.

_MEANWHILE, ENDECOTT HOME_

This was her third attempt, and at this point Veronica was not willing to get another spoiled or brushed off approach. So she decided to try him at home. When she rang the doorbell of the small but well kept house, a young girl about ten or eleven years old answered. She remembered the articles…

'_Caroline Endecott leaves behind a husband, Steven, and three children, Cale, Carly, and Sean.'_

So this had to be Carly. She looked just like her mother.

"Hi, I'm looking for Cale?"

"He's not here yet," Carly responded.

"Mind if I come in and wait for him?"

"I have to ask my dad," she spoke before turning her head back. "Dad?" she called out. Shortly after, a man came to stand behind the young Endecott.

"Can I help you?"

"I've been trying to get a hold of Cale for a few days, but he's not the easiest person to catch for more than twenty seconds. I'm supposed to help him with algebra."

"I know what you mean," Steven Endecott sighed. "Please, come in. He'll be home soon." Veronica nodded and followed them inside.

"Is he alright? I mean, I tried talking to him before, but…"

"Carly, sweetie, go finish your homework, okay?" he looked down to his daughter. She nodded and ran off, after which Steven looked back to Veronica. "He was finally starting to move on, after his mother's death. But then about a month ago, he started pulling away again. I've tried talking to him, but…" He looked trapped, out of solutions. They heard the door, followed by Cale passing through toward the stairs. "Cale, there's someone here to see you." He stopped, turned. Seeing Veronica there he had the briefest of reactions.

"Hi," he spoke.

"Hey," she replied.

"She says she's here to help you with algebra?" Steven asked his son.

"Yeah, but uh… We should go to the library or something. It'll be too noisy here."

"Okay," Veronica nodded. Well talk about progress. "It was nice meeting you," she spoke to Mr. Endecott before following Cale out the front door.

The moment they were out from his father's view and earshot, Cale turned to Veronica, turned back into the frenzied version of himself she'd previously encountered.

"You have to go, now. Don't come here, don't ask questions. I know what your father does, and I know you work for him. Just leave me alone, then everyone can be safe."

After that he went back into his house. Veronica just stood there a while. Her earlier belief of progress may have been premature, but this now was a whole other thing. This may have been more serious than what Miss James believed.

_THAT NIGHT, ECHOLLS POOL HOUSE_

"Is she ready?" Veronica asked Logan.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Tomorrow night…" They paused.

"You should go be with her, it's the last day… After that…"

"I know. I thought about it. But if we do that, it could be harder for her to leave… or for me to let her go," he looked down.

Veronica's cell phone rang, making her jump. She picked it up. "Hello?" She listened, pausing between replies. "Yes? It was?" Logan looked up. "Where? Okay… No… Thank you." She hung up, looked up.

"What? Who was that?"

"We… we might have a problem."

**TBC**


	15. Sacrifices

_Hey all! Sorry I haven't updated in like... well, five months ;) My muse was kind of mean for a while, but it must have gotten all better 'cause I wrote most of this yesterday :D So here it is:) The update on the timeline will be here soon, so be on the lookout! I can't manage to get the link up though... If you can manage to get on the **mooners**(underscore)**fiction** community over at LJ, the entry number is **20052**..._

**CHAPTER 15: SACRIFICES **

"Are you sure you can do this?" Veronica asked Logan as they passed through the hotel lobby. The call was certainly unexpected. It could become a situation if it wasn't handled, and they couldn't afford that so close to Lynn's "extraction" as Logan had called it. There had been some pricey charges on one of Lynn's credit cards. They needed to find out who it was and how they had the card. One of the bigger scenarios involved Aaron having found them out, now attempting to catch them red-handed.

"I'm kind of banking on acting genes of some sort right now, but… yeah, I got it."

"Good, then work it. Here we go." Before approaching the desk clerk's attention, their faces dropped, turning on some 'worry'. The man saw them, standing straighter but still a bit on guard.

"Can I help you?" he asked, hands on the counter before him.

"Yes… we've been receiving some strange phone calls. A-and at first we thought it might just be some prank caller who gets off on…" Veronica let out the deluge of words. Logan put his hand on her shoulder, then the other on her arm.

"Easy," he spoke soothingly. She reached out to squeeze the hand on her arm, giving a nod.

"Lately the calls have become more threatening. We had the calls traced, the last few came from your hotel," Logan explained, sliding a sheet across the desk. He'd had to admit it was impressive to watch as Veronica produced the fake document. The scenario itself had been cooked up just as fast. The man observed the sheet a moment before sliding it back.

"I don't believe the young woman is the one you're looking for."

"Young woman?" Logan repeated.

"She's a bit of a handful, but she's harmless." Logan took the sheet, then Veronica's hand to pull her along, away from the desk.

"Thank you," he told the man.

"Logan?" Veronica asked as they stopped a short distance away.

"We need to get her out of that room."

"Why?"

"Long story. Can you do it?" he asked quickly. She stood there a moment before taking out her phone and dialing.

"Hi. My card was stolen…" Logan nodded to himself as Veronica went about canceling the card.

"Now what?" he asked as she hung up.

"Well, we wait. Logan, what's up? Do you know who's using the card?"

"I have a vague idea," he ran a hand through his hair. They sat side by side, waiting, silently at first.

"You did good back there," Veronica finally spoke.

"Might get that award just yet." She smiled weakly. "I've been meaning to tell you…" he turned to her some minutes later. Just then, something caught his eye behind Veronica. "There," he nodded subtly. Veronica turned, squinted.

"Isn't that…" she started before Logan moved past her, approaching the woman passing by and tapping her arm. She spun around, surprise and a hint of relief on her face.

"Logan, hi!"

"Trina, what the hell…"

"Come on now, cheer up. Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Logan asked calmly.

"Right." She paused then, noticing Veronica behind her brother. "Veronica, hey! You've become quite the news item, haven't you? Hey, I know some people, we could turn it into a…" Before she could go on, Logan cut in.

"What are you doing using Mom's card?"

"Stepmom, and that's nothing to worry your head about, bro." Logan sighed. "Well I'd love to stay and chat guys, but I have to go and find myself a place to crash. See ya." She went off like nothing had happened. Veronica walked up to Logan.

"You shouldn't have mentioned the card."

"I know… If I screwed this up for her…" he shook his head.

"You don't know that," she tried to reassure him. "Look, for now go home. I'll figure this out, I promise." He pondered this, quiet.

"Okay," he finally nodded. He looked over to her. "Thanks."

"Sure," she smiled weakly.

_MARS HOME _

After leaving the hotel, Veronica drove home. The whole way, all she could think about was 'what if things DO get screwed up?' – 'what if this gets out?' She'd been bent on keeping her father in the loop on everything, and here she couldn't confide in him. She just hoped work would keep him distracted enough he would keep him distracted enough he wouldn't see…

The idea came upon her as she pulled up to her place. She grabbed her things and headed inside to her room, grabbing her phone and dialing Logan's number. It was a few rings before he answered.

"Sorry, couldn't talk," was his greeting.

"Listen, I think I may have a way for you to kill two birds with one stone."

"Okay?"

"If you can find Trina, figure out if she'll be trouble for us or not…"

"Shouldn't be too hard…"

"Then if that's the case, convince her to come home, make her something to keep your dad busy while we wrap things up."

"I can do that," he told her, just as she heard Backup's barks indicating Keith's return.

"Okay, I'll call you later," she hung up just as Keith entered her room. "Hi," she smiled, putting her phone down.

"Please tell me that was the pizza guy…" She smirked.

"Sorry." He shrugged, sitting on the edge of her bed to face her.

"So…" he sighed.

She gave him a confused "So…" back. He smiled.

"How's… things?" his gestures gave her a hint as to what he was referring to.

"Well… Celeste hasn't called back yet, not that I'm even remotely surprised." Keith nodded.

"So why don't we give this whole thing a push?"

"What do you mean?"

"Find a little… incentive? Like those pictures?" Veronica sat up.

"Seriously? Wow…"

"What, you don't think I'd do it?" She shrugged.

"So how do we find them?"

"Did she say where she hid them?"

"No… she wouldn't have left them here. Maybe a safety deposit box?" He smiled and nodded.

"So now we find the bank."

"How do we do that?" she asked. He paused, smiling up at her.

"Leave it up to the pro," he patted at his chest with a smirk.

"Can I watch?" she smirked back.

_THE NEXT MORNING – MARS INVESTIGATIONS _

"Yes, that's right." Keith snapped his fingers to draw Veronica's attention. She sat up, rubbing at her eyes to wrestle herself away from sleep. "Yes, that's the one. You're a lifesaver," he scribbled something down before hanging up.

"You got it?" she asked with high curiosity." He sat back, shrugging with his hands out. Veronica grinned and stood to go take a look at the notes he'd taken.

"Hey, hey, not so fast. First things first, let's look about a key?" She sighed and went back to her chair. "Thank you. Now… do you think she might have it with her in Philly?" Veronica shook her head.

"I looked through all her things when she told me about…" she let him complete the thought. "So it has to be at the house?"

"Maybe," Keith nodded. "So… another scavenger hunt?"

"School," she nodded back. "Plus I have to go see Wallace first about something."

"Oh, Veronica, my birthday was months ago, you know," he pointed out innocently.

"Good to know where your head is, but that ain't it." She came over to kiss him goodbye. "See you."

_ECHOLLS HOME _

Logan was sitting up in his room playing video games when he heard voices from downstairs. He knew well who had just arrived – his manipulation had apparently worked. He'd had to call around to people he knew his sister might go to, something with its many unfortunate necessities. Eventually he had landed on the right number.

Within three minutes he could claim with high certainty that Trina had not taken notice of anything to come and knock down their house of cards. So he played the concerned brother – just enough and within his expected behavior – and convinced her to come home. By the end of it, she likely thought it to be her very own clever idea. An hour had passed before he heard the voices from downstairs.

"Logan, come down son?" his father called up. After a moment he did just that. When he arrived at the bottom of the staircase, Trina made her way over to him with a laugh.

"How about a welcome hug for your big sister?" she approached with open arms.

"How about not…" he tried to decline but she already had him in her grasp.

"Play nice," she whispered before pulling back. She sighed, looking around. "Well, it's good to be home, even though the circumstances…" she articulated with her hands as she turned to Logan. "I was just telling Dad how I had been trying to get home since I heard about Lynn's… accident," her voice trailed awkwardly on the end.

"Right," Logan nodded before moving past them. "Well, academia waits for no man," he pointed out as he left. Trina stood there a second, looking up as she felt hands on her shoulders.

"It's good to have you home sweetheart," Aaron gave her a smile. Trina gave a smile back.

"Of course," she assured.

_NEPTUNE HIGH GYM _

When Veronica arrived, she had to be careful not to get plowed over by a couple of giants. "Good reflexes…" she let out a breath.

She scanned the people currently in the gym and was relieved to see the person she wanted to be there was, and the one she didn't want to be wasn't. She stood by the door, curious to see how long it'd be before Wallace saw her, or how long she'd hold to patience. It was a toss up. It ended up that he saw her just as she was about to call out to him. He tossed the ball to someone before jogging over to her.

"Let me ask you something. Would you happen to know where one could get one of those foam fingers. I feel the need to show some… okay, maybe not…" she dropped the cheery, sharing a smirk with him.

"Didn't think so," Wallace agreed.

"Okay, trade off: I need your help with something."

"When don't you…" She glared a moment.

"Hey… So I'm trying to get through to this guy and I happened to see he's one of your teammates. Cale Endecott?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Why do you…"

"Would tell you if I could, but I promised I wouldn't. All I can say is I've been trying to talk to him and he's had me on brush off every time."

"Yeah, he's been jumpy lately, missed some practices but he comes to all the games. Coach would probably kick him off if he wasn't one of his 'up and comers'. They got him in there and they're not letting go."

"Okay, well, do you think you could try talking to him, slowly work me into the conversation, no pushing, see if he'll bite?"

"How urgent are we talking?"

"No messing around," Veronica shook her head. Wallace nodded.

"You got it."

The rest of the day went by, a virtual battle of the wills on the matter of waiting. They still had twenty four hours standing between them and the end of Lynn's stay in Neptune. The stress rested firmly on this time where they had to be removed from the hotel, unable to know whether something was to go wrong.

At the end of the day, Logan went off to the hotel and would call Veronica with the all clear once he got there. When Veronica got home, she could hear some kind of commotion somewhere in the apartment. Backup was calmly sitting halfway between the kitchen and the living room. When he spotted Veronica he was quickly up, wagging his tail as she crouched and welcomed him.

"Hey, what's all this?" she asked, getting the expected clueless look. She stood to follow the noise. It appeared to originate from deep within Lianne's closet, Keith's feet sticking out. He sat there, rummaging through the items in the closet. "Dad?" He poked his head out.

"Hi honey."

"Dare I ask?"

"I never knew your mother to be so much of a pack rat."

"Looking for the safety deposit box key?" she guessed as she went to sit by him.

"Yeah… So far, not so much on result."

"But what a lovely mess," she looked around, picking up a box he'd pulled out. She started looking through the things it held. "Once we have the key, we'll need a way to get in there without Mom's consent, won't we?" she asked.

"Well, a death certificate would work, but then…"

"They might recognize me or her, don't want this to turn into some news item." Keith nodded.

"Just leave it to me."

"Okay, she nodded back. "What…"

"Let's just say someone owes me."

_BACK AT NEPTUNE HIGH – GYM _

"Come on, speed it up!" the coach called to the players.

Wallace did as told, at the same time keeping an eye on Cale. He'd shown up for once, which made things easier at the very least. It wouldn't necessarily be a piece of cake, but it'd be close enough. When everyone split off, Wallace made his way over to Cale's side.

"Hey, how's it going?" he greeted him casually. Cale didn't ignore him, but he didn't look too sure either.

"Good," he nodded.

"I was wondering if you could give me a hand on something…

_NEXT MORNING – ENGLISH CLASS _

"So you talked to him?" Veronica asked Wallace as they sat whispering.

"Yeah. I asked him for help on the game, we talked…"

"How'd it go?"

"Still a work in progress."

"Well already you're closer than I've managed to get."

The bell rang and they started to head out. She saw Logan was trying to hang back, so she got the hint there. "I'll catch you in a bit, okay?" she told Wallace. He saw Logan too and turned back to give her a look. "Please? Finally he turned and left. Veronica and Logan both made to take their time as they picked up their things. "All set?" she asked as they focused on their desks, not each other yet.

"Looks like it," he spoke simply.

"You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, not even fooling himself. So Veronica didn't linger on it.

"How's the Trina thing going?"

"Well you know her, she's playing the doting daughter. Gotta hand it to her, that's one part she knows how to play." Veronica smiled at that.

"So your dad…"

"As far as I can tell, we're good," he assured her.

"Okay… Then that's that." She paused. "How are you doing? You guys been talking?" Logan shrugged a bit, scratching at the back of his neck. She wanted to say more, but she wouldn't have known where to start. She finally turned to look at him though, hesitating before she spoke. "I'll see you tonight."

When Logan looked up in her direction, she'd already gone. Grabbing his bag, he left as well.

_NOON, ECHOLLS HOME _

"We had a room looking out over the ocean where we'd see the sunset. Very exotic," Trina told her father as they sat for lunch.

"Lynn and I went to that very hotel on our sixth anniversary. It was breath taking," Aaron reminisced with a nod. Trina grew quiet, taking a sip from her glass.

In the momentary silence, the sound of the door broke clear through.

"Logan, is that you?" Aaron called out. There was another silence before Logan entered the kitchen. "Why aren't you at school?"

"It's called lunch. I just came to grab something for tonight, working on that project with Veronica," he spoke as he turned to head upstairs.

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Trina chuckled. "Is that what you guys were doing at the Neptune Grand the other day, working on a 'project'?" she air-quoted. Logan stopped and turned, never letting an emotion carry over as his father spoke.

"The Neptune Grand?" he repeated.

"Veronica wanted to check it out for something on the way, she… never really said what," he lied, pulling the story out of who knew where. "I have to go," he turned back to finally go upstairs. He knew it might not be particularly incriminating seeing as how Lynn wasn't at the Grand, but it still put concern in him that he didn't care for.

_AFTERNOON – BANK IN NEPTUNE _

"Right this way," the teller instructed Keith and Veronica, guiding them toward the deposit box room. Veronica looked to her father quizzically.

"About this favor you were owed…"

"My lips are sealed," he shook his head.

"Of course they are," she chuckled.

When they were shown to their box, there was a definite feeling of dread in the air. What were they about to find?

"You do it or I do it?" Keith held up the key. She took it, and soon the box was out. Opening it, they found a folder. Veronica took it out and looked to her father. He nodded. Turning the folder around, she opened it. Her eyes grew wide.

It was just as her mother had said… gun sights. The fact that it had all been true was almost more troubling than seeing herself with those red targets printed over her.

"It's true… all of it," her voice wavered. She put the folder down, taking a few steps back, tried to breathe. Keith took the pictures, didn't even look at them yet. His daughter's well-being was more important.

"Honey? You okay?" he wrapped his arms around her.

"Y-yeah," she pulled back, her eyes looking filled with new strength and determination. "We have to take care of this. After what they put us through… I think it's time we did something about it." Keith smiled, filled with pride.

"Okay." She remembered she had to meet Logan soon, sighed.

"I have to go. Something else… I'll see you at home, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Keith nodded. She nodded back and left. He looked at her until she was out of his view. He looked down to the folder. He'd figure this out for her, rest her worries.

Leaving the bank, he went to his car. He must have sat in that seat for five minutes before finally tempting a look at the pictures that had been the jump-start to his hell year. Soon he knew what he had to do and he drove off.

_OUTSIDE MARS INVESTIGATIONS _

Veronica had practically ran from the bank to the office. She needed to get something before meeting Logan. She took to the stairs two by two, hurried to her desk and grabbed her bag from under it. When she stood, she gasped in shock to find Cale Endecott standing before her.

"You scared me…" she tried to catch her breath.

"I know what you're trying to do," he spoke firmly.

"I'm sorry?"

"You can tell Wallace to back off. Please, just leave me alone." And with that, he turned and left.

"Cale, wait!" She called, but he was already gone. She barely had time to take that in before her phone vibrated.

She picked it up and read the message – it was Logan, _"Where are you?"_ She quickly replied that she was on her way and dashed off.

_EIGHT YEARS AGO _

"_Hold it, please? Just give me a minute. It'll only hurt a little, I promise," Lynn assured her son as he sat on the edge of the bathtub and she sat before him. She lightly dabbed at a swollen and cut part of his face. He winced but settled quickly. "Why'd you have to provoke him like that, you know how he gets," she tried not to cry._

"_Right, so it's my fault, isn't it?" Logan spoke firmly._

"_No, no," she took his hand. "I didn't mean it like that. You just… have to be careful."_

"_I hate him."_

"_He's your father."_

"_You should leave him. We'll live on our own, just us."_

"_Logan…"_

"_He can't keep hurting us…"_

"_Sweetheart, I know it's hard for you to understand but I love him… He gave me you…" He remained silent. "Just be careful, alright?"_

"_You too," he replied. She smiled tearfully._

_PRESENT – ROADSIDE OUT OF NEPTUNE, NIGHT _

Veronica pulled the car over. She looked to Logan at her side, Lynn on the backseat. "The car's over there," she nodded. "Everything you need is in the bag next to you," she told Lynn. She turned to Logan. "I'll wait here."

"Thank you Veronica. I don't know how to show how much this means…"

"Just don't lose hope out there." She nodded, taking the bag and heading toward the other car, as Logan also got out, following her.

When they got to the car, Lynn put the bag down and hugged her son tight.

"You saved my life… every day… I love you Logan, remember that," Lynn cried.

"I love you too," he spoke emotionally. "I wish it didn't have to come to this."

"Me either," Lynn agreed.

"You should go."

"Yeah… Take care of yourself."

"I will." She looked into his eyes.

"We'll see each other again. I promise."

Soon she got in the car, driving off into the night, leaving Logan in her wake.

_NEXT MORNING – MARS HOME _

Veronica walked out of her room sleepily trailing her feet. "Morning sunshine," Keith spoke from his seat in the kitchen.

"Sun won't shine until I have my coffee." She got herself a cup, fixed it up the way she liked and took a sip. And Keith spoke.

"The man who took those surveillance pictures? His name is Clarence Wiedman." She looked up at him.

"How'd you…"

"Hey, that sign that says 'P.I.' isn't just for show."

"So who is he?" Keith hesitated. "Dad, come on, spit it out.

"He's the head of security at Kane Software." Veronica looked as shocked as he figured she'd be. "I don't want you to be pursuing him, especially not on your own. You don't know him. I do, and believe me when I tell you it's better that way."

A moment later, the phone rang. Veronica's look to Keith broke as she answered. "Hello?"

"Hello Veronica." She recognized the voice.

"Mrs. Kane…" That drew Keith's attention.

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

"You didn't. What can I do for you?" she asked, perhaps still semi-asleep, too much to possibly guess what she could want.

"Apparently it's what my husband can do for you. You want that paternity test? You got it." Veronica gripped at the phone.

_TBC_


End file.
